


Broken

by NikitaDreams



Category: Fast and the Furious Series
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-07-03
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 28,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikitaDreams/pseuds/NikitaDreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Had it been worth it to drag herself out of the wreckage of that car and survive, only to end up here? How will Dom and Letty get her out of the situation she's ended up in? Is there any hope for them? My own AU of how the events of the 6th film could have gone. Told from both Dom and Letty's PoVs. There are some spoilers from the movie in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Broken

_"It's in the stars_  
It's been written in the scars on our hearts  
We're not broken just bent  
And we can learn to love again" 

_Just Give Me a Reason - Pink_

Broken

She was still alive. But she was so broken that she often wondered if it was even worth it. To pull herself out of the wreckage of the car over a year ago, and wind up in a life she detested. Parts of the last five years before the wreck were still spotty. Minor brain damage, the doctors had told her that first day she'd struggled out of her coma to find herself in a European hospital. No one she recognized or knew around her.

They said the memories would come back, and some had, a jumbled mess. The accident couldn't take Dom and Mia from her; they'd been a part of her life too long. She'd grown up with them. They had always been family. But she had no idea where they were, how long it had been since she'd seen them. They were no longer in LA and there had been no way to reach them.

After that she could remember parts of her life – being in Mexico with Dom and Leon, parting ways, mourning Jesse. She remembered traveling back and forth across the border. She remembered brief, passion-filled moments in Dominican Republic. Details were sparse, new people she'd met had slipped out of her mind like water through a sieve.

And there'd been Owen. He'd claimed to know her. They met because of Braga, he told her, that first month she'd been held in the hospital and feeling incredibly alone. She couldn't recall him, or Braga, though the name made her feel an irrational sense of fear.

Later, when she'd been discharged it had been Owen who offered her a place to stay. He'd supported her efforts to try and contact her friends; though without all her memories the trail was cold.

She couldn't understand why they didn't come looking for her.

After six months of fruitless searching she'd broken down and cried. She might as well have died in that accident. Owen had been there – though she hadn't dared to let him see her cry. He told her she wasn't alone.

Then he offered her a job.

At first it had been thrilling, and she was good at it. She was daring and a natural behind the wheel. The speed was addictive. So was the danger. After all, she hardly cared if it could kill her.

A few more months and she started to grow uncomfortable. The jobs were bigger, badder. They were carrying guns and leaving behind casualties. Owen was ruthless. She knew this was not her. But she found herself trapped in the company of dangerous people.

Quietly she began searching, trying to find their old friends, wracking her memory for anyone who might be able to find Dom for her. She remembered Vince was in Rio. She'd wanted to go there after DR and the fuel tankers. But before she could reach out to him, Owen came to her.

"You know," he said conversationally. "You really have nowhere else to go."

He left her a clip from the LA Times with an obituary. She was dead.

That's why no one was looking for her.

Owen wouldn't let her go. He liked to remind her that when people died, their loved ones moved on. Did she really imagine Dom would be faithful to a ghost? Would she expect him to? If she was really dead she'd want him to move on. To be happy.

But a part of her resented that he might be.

Maybe no one was looking for her… but they were looking for Owen and his crew. For the people leaving a trail of death and destruction across Europe.

She was going to make sure they found them. After all… freedom hardly mattered when you were already broken.


	2. Shattered

_"And there's no remedy for memory your face is_  
Like a melody, it won't leave my head  
Your soul is haunting me and telling me  
That everything is fine" 

_Dark Paradise – Lana Del Ray_

Shattered

There wasn't much that could really surprise him anymore. But learning that someone he thought was dead – beyond any reasonable doubt – was indeed alive… that Letty was alive and he hadn't known… he had never in his wildest dreams imagined that. Mia had been the one to tell him and she wouldn't have kept it from him if she'd had any doubts. She wouldn't have accepted the death of the woman who had been like a sister to her for years, if she'd thought she could have been alive. But now she was. He'd seen the picture with his own eyes. He knew it was her, knew the set of her shoulders, the angry glint in her dark eyes. She looked tired and pissed off, but she looked like Letty. He couldn't believe it. Maybe he wouldn't really believe it until he saw her for himself.

A part of him felt guilty. That had mostly to do with Elena. She'd been a comfort to him these past months. He supposed they had been to one another. They both understood loss. But now the love he'd lost was alive. And her husband was still dead.

He cared about her. He didn't want to hurt her. But he knew that no one could ever replace Letty in his heart. And if he denied that he would be lying. He couldn't ignore that she could be alive now that Hobbs had shown him the picture. He'd been content to live as he had been. But that was no longer the case.

If he didn't go and chase after this ghost he would always regret it. If there was even a chance he could bring Letty home he had to do it.

"You have to go," Elena had said when he told her about it. "If it was me I wouldn't give it a second thought."

The next morning she'd left for Rio, moving her flight up to go home earlier. When they said their goodbyes they both knew that they wouldn't be seeing each other again.

He'd gotten into the car and driven straight to Brian and Mia's place. They'd been enjoying a picnic in their yard when he arrived. His sister took one look at his face and the file in his hand and called for Brian. The two men sat together under the shade of a tree.

Wordlessly he passed Brian the file. He opened it, letting out a low whistle as he read over the report. Then he flipped the page… and his eyes fell on the picture at once. He frowned, looking at Dom questioningly.

"What is this?"

"Hobbs," he explained. "He wants us to help take this team down."

"And Letty?" Brian asked. "She's alive?"

"According to Hobbs. And working with these guys."

"This sounds out of her league. Ignoring the fact that she shouldn't even be alive."

"But she is. She could be. I can't ignore this, Brian."

"I wouldn't ask you to. But we're going to need some help to take these guys down."

Dom nodded. "We'll need to bring in the whole team. Everyone from the Rio job."

"We have to make it worth their while."

"You have an idea?" Dom asked.

"I sure do," Brian grinned.


	3. Torn

_"My hands are frozen into chains behind my back_  
So please don't swallow down the key, let me out  
Yeah, I'm in trouble, can't stop what's coming  
Can't blame this one on bad luck  
How can I, how can I  
How can I fix what I fucked up?" 

_How Can I – Charli XCX_

Torn

Being a part of Owen's team was a lot different from how it had been back in LA, or back in the Dominican Republic. Whenever she'd worked with Dom on a job, and this she could remember with clarity, she'd never felt like a grunt that fell in line. She'd been his partner, and though he hadn't always taken her advice he'd listened to her, heard her out. There'd been times when he'd brushed her off, more than one. Times when she'd been pissed as hell at him. But he'd always owned up to it afterwards. And she'd never been afraid to speak her mind.

She wouldn't admit it but Owen scared her a hell of a lot.

The people who worked with him were ruthless. Men who'd killed before. He'd pulled them out of mercenary groups and from old contacts. War had a way of changing men, bringing out the worst parts of a man. Showing him that he liked to kill and letting him hone his skills at it. For every dozen men who took a life only because they had to, there was one who took a life because he liked it. Liked the thrill of it.

When they'd jacked those trucks in LA they had never killed anyone. They took stuff… they put themselves and the driver's in danger. But they never shot anyone. They never went in with the intention of hurting someone. With the gasoline in DR the point had always been to grab the tanks and split before the driver even knew that he'd lost his load. Part of it had been for the money, though honestly they would have been able to unload the gasoline for a lot more. They'd practically given it away. Dom had wanted to do it to help the people who were struggling.

The other part of it had always been the thrill.

But that part of it could only push her so far. With the way things were going she didn't know how much longer she could do this. Helping Owen organize strikes and hijackings while he pushed harder and harder, not caring about how many people died in the process. If something she suggested to keep from having to kill someone cost an extra minute he would change it.

"It's a means to an end," he told her. "Don't think about the human equation."

She tried to shut down every piece of herself that felt anything. Because otherwise she didn't know if she could make it through another day. These guys, Jah, Ivory, Klaus… these guys that Owen brought in were so hard that they could unload a fully automatic weapon into the side of a vehicle and not spare a thought about the people that might be inside of it. They seemed chill when they weren't on the job, down to earth. Liked to kick back with a beer, got competitive over the X-Box, flirted incredibly poorly with every other girl that walked into the bar. Like they were different people. Like they turned themselves on and off.

She tried to master that part of it, wanted to do it just so that she could make it out of this sane. If she could ever _get_ out.

Letty didn't spend a lot of time in their company when she didn't have to. Owen accused her of being antisocial. Said that she needed to trust them and that they needed to trust her. It was what it meant to be a part of a team. She'd remained silent through she wanted to scream at him and tell him he was wrong. That she'd had a team once, a family. That she knew what it meant. That they were all his bitches. They all bent under his whim. On some level they were all scared of him.

Then there was Vegh. As the only other woman on the team the two spent a lot of time together by default. Vegh was the tech expert, better with computers than she was with guns or cars. She did all of the hacking for them, all of the fake IDs, new names, new identities wherever they went. And she was hot, so she could charm or fuck her way out of anything that she couldn't use her expertise on. To be honest, she was the kind of girl Letty would have hated in the past. Vegh was a self-proclaimed skank. She got into the racing scene because she wanted to look at guys with hot cars. She kept track of all the different kinds of car's she'd been fucked in, and she had a list of all the ones she wanted to get fucked in.

But under that she was funny, while still being incredibly down to earth. She knew how to let loose and have fun. She was the one who managed to drag Letty out now and then, checking out the local bar scene. She was the one who went with her to whatever street race they found out about. She was the only one she relaxed even an inch around. It helped that Vegh wasn't involved in killing people. That she was never on the scene when they did a hijacking. Her hands were clean, or at least a hell of a lot cleaner than Letty's.

Owen was in a foul mood. Because he'd caught wind, via his contacts and trackers at all levels of various world governments, that a specialized team was being assembled to come after him. Anything more than that he didn't know. But he was pissed because it would complicate their upcoming job if they had lawmen on their tail. Not pissed enough to call it off, but still pissed.

Secretly, she knew that her slip up on the last job was the reason they'd been able to find them. And a tiny kernel of hope began to blossom within her. At this point she almost didn't care if she went to jail. She just wanted out of this.

Letty was in the garage when Vegh found her, bent over the hood of her baby. The only thing that kept her sane most days. The other woman was wearing a tiny pair of black shorts and a red satin tank top. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, leaning against the Interceptor and sighing heavily.

Letty glanced at her. "What?"

"I need to get out of this place. Owen is on a rampage. I'd like to be scarce for a while."

Frowning, Letty reached over to close the hood of the car, wiping her hands on a rag before she tossed it aside. "Fine… get in."

Grinning, Vegh skirted around the car and slid into the passenger side. "Let's go find us a race. Maybe you can make some money. Then we can hit up a bar."

"What, why would I take you to a bar with my winnings?" Letty asked, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Because drinking alone is just pathetic," the other woman replied, ignoring when Letty tried to slap her hand away from the radio controls. "Maybe you'll actually let me hook you up with someone this time."

"Pass. I have seen the types you go for."

"Oh?" Vegh laughed. "And what _type_ do you go for?"

"Not yours," Letty replied, deflecting. She wasn't going to have this conversation with the tech expert. None of them other than Owen (the sneaky asshole) knew anything about her past. And she planned to keep it that way.

"Whatever, you're obviously no Mother Theresa, Leticia." Vegh rolled her eyes. "But have your secrets."

"Don't call me that," Letty muttered and drove down to the warehouse district. They could see the headlights and hear the crowd as they drove along, finding the gatherings of various tricked out cars. There were classics, muscle cars, and newer sports cars. Flashy paint jobs, expensive rims, the clear notes of a tricked out sound system.

Vegh slid out of the car. "Wait here… I'll do the buy in," She grinned and sauntered towards the bulk of the group. Letty rolled her eyes, stepped out of her car and leaned against it silently. She didn't even notice when the black Charger pulled up on the other side of the massive lot, a sea of cars and people between them. Two people who were so near, so far away, and both on the other's mind.


	4. Cracked

_"You were the love of my life, the darkness, the light.  
This is a portrait of a tortured you and I.  
Is this the, is this the, is this the end?"_

_Up in the Air – 30 Seconds to Mars_

Cracked

Dom had needed to get away. Brian and Hobbs had things under control back at their home base. Brian could manage the team pretty well without him. And he was not in his right mind. He couldn't stop thinking about Letty. Couldn't stop wondering how she had ended up here, with these people. He read the file Hobbs gave him and what these people were involved in. He had a hard time wrapping his head around the woman he knew being a party to such acts. How had she lived? What had happened to her? Why was she in Europe? Why hadn't she tried to find them? He knew there was more to the story. He just had to find out what.

He knew it was important to get away and clear his mind a little. So he took out the Charger and drove. At first he had no real destination in mind but his wanderings ended him near the docks at the warehouse district.

It wasn't hard to find something going on. Maybe it was just that he knew where to look. But the street-racing life was also very active here in London. He pulled into the crowded lot, where the booming of an oversized bass drowned out his own music. He sat a moment in the vehicle – watching the crowd. A scrawny dark-skinned man was sitting atop a lime green Lancer collecting buy-ins from interested drivers. A tall, curvy blonde in black cut-offs sauntered over with a wad of cash in her hand. Something about her made him follow her with his eyes. She said something to the scrawny guy, pointing in the opposite direction. He nodded and the blonde walked off. Dom got out of his car and made his way over to the buy-in. The guy looked up at him, raising his brows. His gaze slide past Dom to the Charger.

"Nice ride," he said. "Haven't seen it before."

"Haven't been here before." Dom nodded to the cash in the man's hand. "What's the buy-in?"

"What makes you think there's a spot?"

"I don't see anyone racing."

The guy laughed and held out his hand. "Two G's."

Dom handed over the money.

"Three other racers. We'll be starting at this block, northeast corner. Finish line is the corporate docks."

"Thanks." Dom tucked his hands into his pockets and looked around. There were dozens of people there, many different cars – fast, tricked-out cars. He didn't know any of these people, but he knew these people. It was a familiar setting, though it had truly been years since he'd regularly participated in street races. But it felt something like coming home. The smell of exhaust and oil, the sound of engines and mufflers. The blasting of music, the chatter of voices, laughter. Around him women in short skirts and tiny tops were dancing, flirting and hanging off arms. He spared them a glance – he was hardly blind. But he could only think of Letty's derisive comments on skanks. It made him smile a little as he wandered back towards his car. The smooth black lines of the vehicle gleamed under the streetlights. It was a beautiful car. He had to hope this job would not lead to it being totaled again. His sister liked to say it was a curse, but he couldn't let it go. It held too many important memories. Building it with his dad, racing with Brian, know all the time Letty had put into it… He'd taken it on a path of revenge across the border. It had gone all the way to Rio with him, and beyond.

He wanted to break the case. The next place this baby would be traveling was home to L.A. They would bring these guys down and gain their freedom. All of them.

The scrawny guy, whose name he hadn't gotten, was collecting the last buy-in as Dom slid into the driver's seat. The cars purred to life and filed out of the parking lot. As if in tandem they drove down the four-lane road towards the northeast corner. There, a starting line had been painted in red and a pair of scantily clad women were flanking it. The four competitors lined up, engines humming. Waiting for the signal.

Scrawny guy was now standing on top of his car. He waved his arms, then a leggy brunette beside him squeeze a small air horn to signal.

The cars sped off at once, a squeal of tires and a roar of engines. The car next to his was a cherry red with two black racing stripes along the hood and roof. Shifting, as they advanced a couple of blocks, Dom slowly inched out into the lead. The red car and a grey one on the other end were merely inches behind, with a golden colored Mustang GT bringing up the rear. Dom slammed down his foot, shifting up again. The red car slid further behind as the grey moved up. The noses of the cars were nearly even. Engines roared and they battled for first. The cherry red vehicle swerved, but Dom pulled ahead, avoiding being hit. He grit his teeth, annoyed at the dirty play.

The red car and the yellow car had fallen behind. It was between him and the grey. He got a glance at it out of the corner of his eyes. Jensen Interceptor. The driver was a flash of long dark hair that had his stomach clenching. He turned his attention back to the road, letting his world narrow down to the last stretch of pavement before him. The docks loomed ahead, blinking lights against the smoggy night sky. The Charger was all power around him, the slam of the clutch, the smooth click of the stick shift, the loud rumble of the engine.

The two cars sped across the finish line so closely, that Dom had no idea who had won. He found he didn't care. His heart was pounding in his ears as he turned his head. Letty stared back at him from the other car. Surprise flashed across her face, then something like panic chasing on its heels. She shifted her car back up to speed, wrenched the wheel and sped off.

For one long moment he stared after her, watching her taillights up ahead. He didn't notice the people who'd gathered to watch the race, didn't hear their shouts or notice the looks of shock and confusion on their faces. Didn't notice as scrawny started to walk up to him. Frowning he revved his engine and he turned the wheel, chasing after Letty. Leaving the race and possible winnings behind, he went after what was most important to him.

He wasn't letting her get away again.


	5. Crumbled

_"'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need_  
Chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why  
If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy?  
If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?" 

_Clarity - Zedd_

Crumbled

Why was she running? Wasn't this what she wanted? Maybe it hadn't been what she'd expected. When she slipped up and let herself get caught on camera she'd expected someone to come after her. She didn't expect that someone to be Dom. And maybe she wasn't ready to face him, to face him knowing what she'd done.

So she'd run.

It took her about five minutes to realize that was stupid as hell, staring at the empty dock road that stretched ahead of her, streetlights punctuating the darkness at regular intervals. She could see the headlights of Dom's car behind her. Her eyes flicked and she turned off into a nearby lot, turning her wheel as she came to a stop. She was already getting out of the car when Dom pulled up. She tried to calm her nerves, idly walking around the car to lean against it. She dropped her head, but her eyes tracked him as he climbed out of the charger. Watched him as he slowly walked towards her.

To anyone else his face would have been unreadable. To her he was a mix of emotion; disbelief, happiness, anger, confusion. Letty couldn't say she blamed him. To him, she'd been dead. No, she didn't blame him for that. But a part of her blamed him for everything that had happened to her, to them. That night when he'd walked out on her in the Dominican Republic while she slept he'd set into motion the events that had ended with her here.

She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his as he came to a stop before her. Silence stretched between them. Her hands were braced on the back of her car and he crowded her with his larger body. Not that she would have, but the vehicle behind her made it impossible for her to put any space between them. She could feel the heat of his breath against her face and her heart thundering beneath her ribcage. It seemed like ages before either of them moved. His eyes were searching her face and then his hands came up, cupping her cheeks, fingers sliding into the dark waves of her hair and she swallowed. Tried to pretend she didn't feel every callus of his palm against the smooth skin of her cheek, that she didn't remember the feel of those big hands on her body.

Now those hands were hesitant, as if he wasn't sure she was real. As if he held onto her too hard she might disappear. She wanted to bury herself against him and let him keep her safe. She wanted to fall on him and kiss him like a woman starved. She wanted to pummel him for abandoning her. She wanted to scream at him and tell him to leave before Owen found out he was here, before he used her to hurt Dom. She tilted her head back as his hands tangled into her hair and she realized her hands were pressed against the broad strength of his chest. He was close enough now that she could smell his cologne. It was similar to the one he'd used to wear, though not exactly the same. But under that, the smell of engine grease and car fumes, and that smell that was just him.

For just a little bit, she wanted to pretend that there were no questions and no anger and blame between them. That there were no consequences and there was no danger. That everything could just be the way it had before. Before he'd walked out on her, before she'd lost her life. Her hands slid up the back of his neck, fingers curling against the warm skin as he leaned down. His nose brushed against hers and she felt the heat of his breath on her parted lips for one moment before they met his. The kiss was like coming home. As if no time had passed, that nothing could dull the love and passion between them. The assertive brush of his tongue against hers, the taste of his mouth, the way he moaned when her teeth scraped his lower lip. The press of his body against hers or the slow slide of his hands down her back to cup the curve of her ass. She was hefted up on the hood of her car, him between her legs before they had to break apart for air, gasping into the space between them.

Sighing, Letty dropped her head to rest against his chest. Reality roared back into place.

Things could never be as they were. Not anymore. She closed her eyes, trying to pretend she didn't find comfort in the brush of his hand through her hair. That she didn't feel safer here with him than she had at any point since they'd been apart. How could he do that to her? Why was it so easy?

"Dom," she said and she knew the word was full of everything she wanted to say and couldn't. His arms tightened on her like he wouldn't let her go.

"Letty," he sighed. "I…there are a million things I want to ask you. Things I _need_ to know. But right now, would you please just come with me. I can protect you."

"You can't protect me from him, Dom. It's too late for that." She lifted her head, pushing at his chest to give her some space, and then dragged a hand through her hair. "Me running away isn't going to stop him."

He stared at her. "And what is? He's dangerous. These people… hell Letty, are _you_ dangerous too? I don't even know what to think about this."

Gaze hardening she slid off her car, hand curled into a fist. "You don't have the _first_ clue what you're talking about, Dominic."

"So clue me in!"

She paced away from him, tension in the lines of her body. "Owen… he pulled me out of the wreck," she finally said, her back to him, her voice so soft that he had to take a few steps closer. "Well… not exactly. I pulled myself out… I remember pieces. I crawled away and then I guess I passed out. When I woke up it was weeks later and I was in a hospital in Europe. Spain." She turned back to him. "I couldn't remember things. How I'd gotten there, where I'd been or what I'd been doing. The past five years were just…. Fragments. I didn't understand why you weren't here, why Mia wasn't here. And by the time I got out? There was no way to reach you. The house line was disconnected. I didn't know that I was supposed to be dead."

He stared back at her; silent as his mind whirled, putting together the pieces that she gave him, adding his own.

"Mia was gone because she and Brian busted me out of prison," he finally said.

She looked at him in shock, her dark eyes wide. "What?"

"Letty… I thought you were _dead_ and my world was destroyed. It just… all came crumbling down around me and it was my fault. I didn't know what to do. I blamed Braga and I wanted revenge. Like that would give me some sort of peace of mind or something…"

"Did it?" she asked.

"No." His laugh was humorless. "Brian and I took them all down. But the judge didn't care. Sentenced me to life."

She swallowed, taking a step towards him. He'd always said he would die before going back to jail. That he would end up there because of her. She couldn't find the words to say anything.

As if reading her mind he took her hand in his. "I died the day Mia called and said you were gone. Hell… I was barely alive before that. I was so stupid to leave you."

"No shit," she muttered, squeezing his hand. "So, prison breaks?" she cocked a brow.

"Yeah. They got help. But now… Mia is on the run just like the rest of us. Brian worked a deal. We take down Shaw and we all get to go home, clean and clear."

Letty stared at him quietly, her eyes dark. "Well then," she said after a long pause. "You're going to need my help."


	6. Fractured

_"Show me how to fight for now_  
And I'll tell you baby, it was easy  
Comin' back into you once I figured it out  
You were right here all along" 

_Mirror – Justin Timberlake_

Fractured

Dom knew that while some of the questions were answered, everything wasn't good between them. Letty was still mad, he was still, confused as hell. But she'd agreed to help, and that was something. He knew the feelings were still there, between them. He'd never stopped loving her. He'd just forced himself to try and move on. He had done it more to make Mia feel better than anything else. And he'd always known that it wasn't real. That it was just a shadow. That he'd always be in love with a ghost.

Only now here she was, in front of him, solid, real. Still his.

At least, he hoped.

He was about to lay out some of the details when Letty's phone started buzzing loudly. She sighed and pulled it out of her back pocket, glancing at the screen. She looked back up at him, something like regret flashing in her eyes.

"I have to go."

"How do I get in touch with you?"

"It's too dangerous, Dom," she said, shaking her head. "I'll get in touch with you. Remember, I was always good at finding you."

He smiled a little, though it hurt to remember that. About how he'd made himself disappear so well she hadn't been able to find him after he'd bailed on her. How she'd been so desperate to bring him home she'd nearly gotten herself killed. But she was alive. He had to remember that she was alive. That was more than he'd had yesterday.

"I don't like it," he said, reaching for her arm to draw her back. "He's dangerous."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm dangerous. None of that 'trying to protect me' bullshit, Dom. Remember how that works?"

He winced and she yanked her arm free.

"Don't think I'm letting that one go," she said pointedly. "The only way you'll get Owen is with someone on the inside. That someone is me."

"If you think you're in danger…" he started.

"I'll get out," she finished. "I was already planning on it."

He met her gaze and he found himself lost in those dark eyes. He just wanted to fold her up into his arms and carry her away to safety. He didn't need LA. He didn't need his name cleared. He had his Letty. He just needed her. Why hadn't he realized that before? He'd been so damn stupid.

She smiled slightly, pulling away from him. "I know that look in your eyes," she murmured. "Damn stubborn man." She pulled open the door to the Interceptor, slid inside before he could grab for her. "I'll be in touch. Don't follow me, Dom. I'm serious. It will be a lot more dangerous for us both if Owen finds out about you."

"What does he know?" he asked, startled at this information.

"Too damn much. Conniving little bastard." She cursed under her breath in Spanish, then yanked her door closed. Without another word she drove away and Dom watched her go.

A part of him was terrified that he wouldn't see her again, that she'd disappear, so he watched the car until it was a tiny speck in the distance. She was real. She was real and alive. It had been real, right? He licked his lips and he could still taste hers on them.

God, he'd had her in his arms and he'd let her go. Why had he listened to her? He rubbed a hand over his head. This could all go so wrong. He couldn't bear to have her back only to lose her again. There was no way that he could go through it again. Ever since he'd thought he'd lost her his own life had felt unimportant. In fact, he'd been willing to give it up more than once. It had only been Brian who had pulled him through, who had dragged him on to keep living. Forced him to march through every day because of Mia.

If something happened to Letty, if he lost her again… then that would be the end.

Curling his hand into a fist he slammed it down painfully onto the hood of his car. The metal dented under the force and his knuckles split, his fingers jolted by pain. But he didn't care. He didn't want to be so damn scared. He wanted to be able to do something. He wanted, needed to get Letty out and away from this piece of shit. He would do anything to do so.

Turning, Dom yanked open the door to his car and got in. Though he'd lost out on his winnings earlier the night had been anything but a bust. He _knew_ now for sure, that Letty was alive. And he knew that she would help them. Now all that he needed to do was take Shaw down.

He turned on the car and pulled out of the lot slowly. It was time to head back and talk to Brian. They needed to make their move, and they needed to do it fast. The sooner they got Letty away from Shaw, the better.


	7. Fragmented

_"Stay away, why couldn't you stay away  
I never needed anyone  
But now that you are gone"_

_Stay Away – Charli XCX_

Fragmented

As Letty drove away, her mind was going a mile a minute. The whole game had changed with Dom here. She always knew that breaking away from Owen would be dangerous. On her own she'd stood little change of getting out of it alive. She knew that if anyone could take down Shaw and the rest of his ruthless team it was Dom. No doubt he had his own team with him, though she couldn't guess who would be riding with him these days. Brian, if he'd busted him out of jail. Maybe Mia, though Dom had never wanted her involved in their dangerous stunts in the past. But it had been two years, and she wasn't a part of Dom's crew anymore.

She was halfway to the bar to meet Vegh; the bitch had texted demanding to know where the hell she was and suggested several scenarios involving her driving off chased by some 'hot guy with muscles' that had Letty realizing she had to run damage control. Especially before the other woman got so wasted that she thought her texts were the truth. Owen would eventually find out that Dom was here. When he did, Letty didn't need him knowing that they'd already met.

Her phone beeped again, another text, but she ignored it as she turned down the side street to one of Vegh's favored bars. She didn't even wonder how she'd gotten there. There had been plenty of men with wheels for her to charm for a ride. Letty rolled her eyes at the thought and pulled up in front of the joint, throwing her car into park and climbing out of the driver's seat.

Inside she was still a mess of emotions. A part of her was screaming. Why hadn't she accepted Dom's offer and just gone with him? Did she really care if they took down Owen? She could run away with him somewhere and that would be enough. Except that they couldn't go home. And that they'd always be running. If Dom's named could be cleared… no.

She didn't want to let herself think about what-ifs. She didn't want to think about the future. She'd always tried to content herself with the 'now' where Dom was concerned. The future had always been tomorrow or the next few weeks. It hadn't been years down the road, promises and dreams. She'd loved him more than anything, but she'd always been afraid of holding on too tightly.

Shaking herself out of the mood she stepped into the bar. Vegh was at the counter, surrounded by men whose attention was riveted on her. She took a drink of her beer and laughed at something, before her eyes found Letty at the door and she grinned, waving her over.

Stamping down her annoyance as the audience at the bar all turned to watch her walk over Letty ignored them and stopped in front of Vegh. The blonde was looking searchingly past her shoulder towards the doorway. Then she pouted and turned her gaze to Letty.

"Where's your friend?"

"I came alone, Vegh. You know I don't have any friends." She tried to keep her voice light, but she was still on edge and it came out a little harshly.

Frowning, Vegh ordered another beer, pressing it into Letty's hand. She then put her arm around her, despite knowing that Letty didn't like to be touched and smiled winningly at her admirers.

"Excuse me boys, we need some girl time. We'll be back." Then she steered Letty off towards a table in the back of the bar and motioned for her to sit in a chair. "What has you all worked up? Did I interrupt something?" She waggled her brows.

Letty groaned. "Your imagination will be my undoing. Would I have really come here for your stupid ass if that was what I was doing?"

"I dunno, Letty but you seem testier than usual. Is it because you lost the race?"

"Who says I lost?" Letty scowled, and then sat back in her chair with a mulish expression on her face. She took a drink of her beer.

"Well why else would you drive off like that?" the other woman asked, now looking at her with keen, careful eyes.

"I just got… yeah fine. I was pissed about losing. Can we just leave it at that?"

"Did you know that guy?" Vegh asked, her eyes widening. More serious now, she plopped into the chair across from Letty.

"I don't know him."

"Just seems like a weird reaction. After you guys saw each other… and you just drove off like that."

Damn her, she was too observant for her own good. Letty had hoped Vegh hadn't had a good view of the finish line. But then, maybe she'd gone asking questions of the other racers. This was going to be a disaster.

"Okay look. I… I used to know him. I really need you to keep this to yourself, please."

Vegh leaned in, her voice lowering to a hush. "What's he like… an ex-boyfriend?"

"Vegh, I'm serious I can't talk about this."

"You're scared of Owen," the other woman said, her face somber. "I am too. But Letty if you know this guy… he chased after you. If he still gives a crap about you… you're different from the rest of us. The boys, their own families don't want them. They're all so fucked in the head. And me? I don't have a family. My mom kept me just long enough to fuck me up, too busy with her crack to take care of her kid. If you've got someone… why are you here?"

Letty was silent. Vegh had just told her more about her life in one sentence than she had in the more than a year they'd been running together. "It's complicated."

"Life is complicated. Give me the short version. You never told me how you ended up working with Owen." She studied her across the table. "And I always wondered why I mean… he always has to be in charge. He controls everything, but you seem to hate being controlled. Why do you let him? You're good enough to do your own thing. I know you're not sleeping with him. I mean, you seem to hate him. More than the rest of us."

Letty looked at her, uncertain. She knew that Vegh didn't like Owen all that much. But she didn't know if she trusted her. The other woman did her job and hardly argued. Maybe because she didn't have to be in the thick of things. She wasn't putting her life on the line, dangling off the back of a semi or facing armed military convoys. Maybe she didn't feel that same sense of responsibility when someone died because she was just sitting on the other side of a computer screen. She didn't know if she could trust the other woman… but she wouldn't be telling her anything that Owen didn't already know, for the most part.

Sighing she closed her eyes briefly. "We're going to need another round," she mumbled, draining the rest of her beer. "I met Owen when I woke up in a hospital in Spain…"


	8. Severed

_"Used to come around, you be knocking on my front door_  
Playing board-games, horror films with the secret door  
Thought that you were cute from the start, yeah I'm pretty sure  
You were like the medicine, the medicine I wanted more  
All along I wanted someone to laugh with  
Found the guy I want the rest of my life with" 

_What I Like – Charli XCX_

Severed

The next day Dom was feeling a little more settled, if only because he understood a little what was going on with Letty now. He didn't have everything the way he wanted. Of course, if he did then she'd be here with him and as far away from that asshole Shaw as possible. But the fact that she'd agreed to help him was something. He would just have to lay it out with Hobbs. She was going to get a pardon too, because he sure as hell wasn't going home without her.

He grabbed a coffee from the makeshift break room one of the agents had set up and headed out into the warehouse they'd set up as there space. There they kept the cars and one long board full of maps and photos and dotted with pushpins covered one wall. The opposite wall was crowded with long tables with computers and other various tech spread out on top of them. This early in the day they weren't manned by many, just a single Interpol agent, some brunette whose name totally escaped his memory, and Brian. He crossed to his friend, pulling out a chair to plunk down beside him. Brian typed something into the computer then looked over at him. He studied him a moment, then sat back.

"What happened?"

"I saw Letty. Last night."

Brian's eyes went wide and he sat up a little, glancing at the agent over his shoulder briefly. She had a headset on and was apparently absorbed in her work. Still… He pushed to his feet and motioned for Dom to follow him, heading back towards the break room. "What happened?"

"We raced…" he laughed, a sharp sound as he rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Before I even know it was her. Then at the end of the race… I saw her and she saw me and she panicked. Ran."

"What the hell?" Brian asked. "Why?"

"Dunno," Dom followed the other man into the break room where there was thankfully no one else. He leaned against the counter. "Went after her."

"Of course you did. So?"

"We talked…" he didn't really need to share all the details with his brother in law. That sort of sharing was strictly off the table. "She's still pissed about me leaving her in DR."

"No really?" Brian deadpanned, arching a brow. "So clearly she's still our Letty."

"Our?" Dom laughed. "Where are you getting this 'Our' shit from?"

"Hey we were friends, remember? I mean… I didn't really want to talk about it after she was gone. But when we were working together in LA. She was my friend too, Dom. I meant that."

"Right, well stop with the was bullshit. She's alive. I saw her. I… touched her." He sighed, turning away to stare at the wall. "I wanted her to come back here with me."

"And why wouldn't she?"

"She wants to… feels like she needs to help us take down Shaw. Thinks that she can do that better by staying close to him."

Brian frowned slightly, mulling that over. "Well… logically it makes sense but I think it's pretty dangerous. We've seen that he doesn't think much about the safety of his crew or anyone involved in what he's doing."

"She doesn't think she can just walk away from him," Dom said, shaking his head. "Maybe it's pride. Who the hell knows? Maybe she just wants to be able to save herself."

"Why is she even involved with this guy anyway?" Brian asked, his brow furrowing. "It's just… it's not like her. She wouldn't have been okay with killing someone."

"From what she was able to tell me she kind of ended up stuck in a bad situation. Shaw was responsible for getting her out of the wreck, somehow. He's been with her since she woke up. She said at first her memories were spotty, missing the past few years. By the time she was able to try and contact us we were on the run in Rio."

"And she didn't hear about that?" Brian's brows rose.

"My guess is that Shaw didn't let her hear about it. Hobbs' profile says the guy is controlling as hell. I think Letty is scared of him."

"If he scares her then he must be bad news," Brian said softly.

"Which means we have to get her out of there as soon as possible," Dom replied.

"How exactly are we going to do that?"

Dom shook his head. "Not sure. She said she'd contact me so I guess I have to hope that she does soon. And then we'll make our move. In the meantime we need to keep getting info the way we have been, compiling everything we have on him and the rest of his crew. If we don't hear from Letty then we're going to have to go in and get her out. I'm not waiting around that long."

Brian nodded, because he couldn't blame him. He grimaced as he thought of something, and then sighed at Dom's questioning look. "I'm going to have to call Mia. She said that if it turned out that Letty really was alive she didn't want to have to sit around at home waiting for us to bring her back. She's going to want to come out here."

"I'd tell you to stop her if I thought you stood a chance."

"Yeah right." Brian laughed. "Stubborn Toretto genes."

"I bet the little one is gonna have them too."

"Don't start with me," Brian said, grinning at him. "You'll encourage him."

Dom laughed, and then shook his head. "Have you seen Hobbs around?"

"I think he went to work out in the back earlier. You know, so he can live up to the nickname when Tej calls him The Hulk." He paused, turning to pour himself some coffee. "Why?"

"I need to talk to him. Make sure Letty is included in this deal we worked out."

"That was part of it, I thought," Brian said, looking at him over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I know. But I have to make sure. She's coming home with us."

Brian smiled, reaching for his cellphone as he checked the clock. What time was it by Mia now? Oh well, she'd want him to call. "You're right," he told Dom as the other man headed back out of the room. "We're all going home together."


	9. Demolished

_"When the day has come_  
That I've lost my way around  
And the seasons stop and hide beneath the ground  
When the sky turns gray  
And everything is screaming  
I will reach inside  
Just to find my heart is beating" 

_Bleeding Out – Imagine Dragons_

Demolished

It was past noon when Letty dragged her ass out of bed and stumbled across the small space of her room towards the bathroom. The "Compound" as Owen called it, was really just a converted factory. It had rooms and living space upstairs, while the ground floor was a massive garage with all their cars and Owen's various other toys. She knew he'd paid a lot of money to have it fixed up, but she didn't care. She hated it because it was his. She hated it because she was stuck in it. It wasn't her home. It never would be.

Dropping her clothes to the floor she turned the water on hot and stepped under the spray. She was going to kill Vegh for talking her into those shots. She felt like shit. And she'd always been good at holding her liquor. Maybe she'd just drank so damn much because of the shock of seeing Dom again. Because she didn't want to think about him too hard. Because if she did she'd run the hell away from Owen and right into Dom's arms. She'd been managing on her own just fine without him.

She frowned to herself as she scrubbed the soap over her body. She'd had to manage without him a lot, even when they'd still been together. The times they'd split up, him having to run to somewhere else, blend in to somewhere else. Sending her back to the states to check up on Mia, to try and pretend like everything was fine even though she'd much rather have been running with him. How she'd gotten so mad at him sometimes… told herself she wasn't going to go after him this time.

Especially when she caught him surrounded by skanks and enjoying himself. When she had to remind him how much he'd missed her. Only to have him make her leave again. And when she'd finally refused, put her foot down. He'd left.

Part of her still hated him for that. Hated him for the way he'd made her feel.

She'd always been Letty, the little ass-kicking girl with the dirty mouth and the mean right hook. She'd been just like one of the boys, under the hood of the car, getting her hands dirty, having a beer and watching a movie instead of shopping at the mall. She'd never wanted them to treat her any different, until she'd wanted Dom to treat her differently.

Until she'd realized that being a woman and having feelings and desires and loving someone didn't make you weak, even if it sometimes made you feel that way. When they'd been in LA she'd always trusted that whatever Dom made her feel, she'd made him feel too. The way he was with her when no one else was around. The way he'd look her right in the eye and tell her he loved her. How he used to talk about plans for their future, some far off distant time that he seemed to believe they'd eventually get to. The way sometimes he'd turn sex into making love, as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

The hijackings had flipped their world around. Erased the talk of future, that certainty. He'd wanted her around, never stopped loving her, but he felt guilty for every second she was with him because he'd wanted her to have a better life. A life he hadn't thought he could offer anymore.

He hadn't really said as much, but she'd known. She'd known that was why he didn't want her running from place to place with him, why he didn't ask her to meet him, even though he never seemed surprised when she showed up. And no matter how tightly, how greedily he'd held onto her when she was there, he was always just trying to set her free.

She'd resented him for that. Not for the thought. But for the fact that he took the choice away from her. That morning when she'd woken up alone in the Dominican Republic, staring at a stack of cash and his silver cross she'd felt hollow. She'd wanted to rage, to throw things around, smash them. She'd wanted to cry. Instead she'd packed her things and gone back to LA.

No one ever said Letty wasn't strong. And so she soldiered through her pain. She worked through it. She had tried to fight for a way to bring Dom home. If he wouldn't let her be with him on the run, then she was going to bring him home. It was hard to believe so much desperate, painful love had led to this. Had ended her here with Owen and his crew.

And now Dom was the one chasing after her.

It made her smile just a little. It was a nice change.

The water was going cold, too much time wasted in old thoughts. She figured it must be the hangover as she quickly shampooed and conditioned her hair before turning off the tap, stepping out to reach for a towel. She wrung out her hair and wrapped the towel around herself, heading back into her bedroom.

The door was slightly ajar. Owen stood beside her bed, studying a large glossy print he held in his hand. Letty froze, her hand tightening where she held the towel around herself. Owen rarely came into her room. It was her personal space, and him being in it made her feel uneasy. He knew she preferred to deal with him down in the garage, but he would broach the sanctuary of her room if he had something important to tell her, usually involving little tidbits of information that were painful for her, such as the time that he told her she'd been found to be dead after the accident in Mexico.

She tensed, watching him as he lifted his gaze to her and smiled, in an unnervingly friendly manner.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Testy this afternoon are we?" he inquired, raising a single brow. "I heard you had a late night. Probably should avoid those as we get closer to the job."

She didn't say anything, just stared at him.

He took a step towards her then, holding out the print in his hand. "You know, it's interesting… the idea of a family," he began. "A nice thought, I suppose… for normal people. But it seems like for people like us a family would only be an inconvenience. Something someone could use against you."

Gritting her teeth Letty reached out with one hand to take the print from him and slowly lowered her gaze to it. She fought not to react, not to let him see that it bothered her. There was a photo of Mia, looking as she had the last time Letty had seen her. She was standing in a lush green yard with a garden, a baby on her hip. The child's blonde hair gave him away. Brian and Mia had a baby. She hadn't even known.

And now Owen was using them to threaten her.

"What do you want?" she repeated her earlier question, though now her voice was resigned as she stared down at the picture. She couldn't let anything happen to them.

"I want your full cooperation, Letty," he said softly, stepping into her personal space. Even though she felt vulnerable and intimidated she refused to step back, staring stonily at his chest. He fingered strands of her damp hair. "I know that your… boyfriend is in town. And I know he's after me. You will stop him. You will stop him… or that woman and her child, will die."

Letty closed her eyes briefly, pressing her lips together to stifle the scream of anger she wanted to let loose. She curled her hand tightly into the towel she held closed, imagining making a fist and punching Shaw as hard as she could. She slowly opened her eyes to look at him. He was smiling. The sick bastard was smiling.

"I'll stop him," she promised.


	10. Mangled

_"Will you still remember_  
Twisted little star  
Darker shining  
Silently surrender  
Twisted little smile  
Twisted's gonna last a while" 

_Twisted Little Star – Bertine Zetlitz_

Mangled

Two days passed and Dom didn't hear anything from Letty. It made him edgy and irritable. Brian said that she was probably waiting for the right time. Hobbs doubted that she would keep her word to help them. Dom refrained from punching his face in, just barely. Mia arrived and her presence helped a bit, though the longer he didn't hear from Letty, the more anxious he became.

In the meantime, the crew worked on their original plan, tracking Shaw and his team, learning them and the way they struck. They would go after them where they had the best chance. On the road.

On the third day Hobbs marched into the break room where the team was all crowded around the table with the breakfast Mia had made them. Brian looked up, forkful of eggs halfway to his mouth and saw the look on the officer's face. He looked at Dom, who stood.

"What happened?"

"They made a move," Hobbs said, motioning for them to follow him out to the large warehouse area. Several other agents were crowded around the computers. The tech expert brought up some images on the large projector so they could all get a look.

Grainy footage from what seemed to be random security cameras in a downtown area caught the visual of two cars driving down the road late at night. Dom tensed slightly, recognizing one of them as Letty's. Mia reached over to squeeze his arm.

The cars pulled up to a security gate. A tall man stepped out of the other vehicle and went up to the guardhouse and shot his gun through the window, twice. Then he went into the guardhouse and opened the gate. The cars drove through.

"Shit…" Brian muttered. "What was that place?"

"That's the dock for customs," Hobbs explained. "My guess is that they wanted to get at something that's come into the country."

"Can we see what happened at the docks?" Brian asked.

"We had to request footage from the local government," one of the techs said. "It should be coming in… now."

She tapped a few buttons and changed the image on the screen. This video was of better quality. It showed the cars driving in through the gate and then along a long row of cargo containers. They drove about a quarter mile down, then came to a stop. The doors to the cars opened and several people got out. Letty stepped from the driver's side of the Interceptor. Her body language was full of tension and she slammed the door angrily as she stalked away from the car. Dom's gaze tracked her. Mia squeezed his arm tighter.

A man stepped out of the passenger's side. His build was lean, and he moved with authority. He walked after her, turning to say something to the two men who came out of the other car. The camera got a good shot of his face; Shaw.

The two guys he'd spoken to nodded and walked off in the opposite direction, towards a large container. One of them carried a large pair of lock-cutters. They used them to open the container and disappeared inside.

Letty was standing just near the edge of the camera's view now, stonily silent, her arms crossed over her chest, back to Shaw as he talked at her. To Dom it was clear she was unhappy, but she didn't say anything. Owen got right up into her personal space, far too close, leaning in to whisper something against her ear. She still didn't move, her face turned away. Dom's hands curled into fists. Mia whispered his name.

Shaw turned his head, looked right at the camera, and made a gun with his fingers, pointing it directly at them. He mouthed the word "Bang".

"He knows we're after him," Giselle murmured.

"He's taunting us," Brian added. "He's confident."

On the screen Shaw put his arm around Letty. She stepped away from him but he grabbed her firmly by the arm, shouting at someone as he forced her back towards her car. She got into the driver's side. Shaw went into the container and the two men came back out. One got into the other vehicle, while one got into the passenger's side of Letty's. They weren't letting her be alone.

"Seems like your girl doesn't know what side she's playing for," Hobbs commented drily. Dom took a step towards him, fist raised, but Mia held onto him.

"She's doing it against her will," his sister said, narrowing her eyes at Hobbs. "That much is obvious to anyone that knows her."

"Shaw must have something on her," Brian put in.

"What could he possibly have to hold over Letty's head?" Han asked.

"We find that out and we can get her out," Dom replied, lowering his hand to his side again.

They turned their attention back to the screen. The two cars had driven off and the scene was still for a moment. Then something came roaring out of the container. It was some sort of vehicle, but it looked like a massive metal roll cage, with a low body and wide wheels. It was like something out of a batman movie or a bizarre concept car.

"What the hell is that?" Roman asked his eyes wide.

"Looks military," Hobbs said. "Our info on this guy says he's ex-military. He must still have access to contacts for some of the higher tech toys."

"How are we supposed to go up against that shit?" Tej asked, looking at them with mild disbelief.

"We have to," Giselle said softly, looking towards Dom. There was much more at stake than the possibility of having their records cleared. She'd seen Dom right after he'd lost Letty the first time. He'd been a man ready to die. There was no way they could let that happen again.

"We need to get Letty out of there," Brian announced. "We can't wait for her to contact us. It's obvious that Shaw has some way to control her and he knows he can use her against us."

"He'll exploit every weakness we have," Hobbs told them. "He's ruthless. He will sacrifice any of them if he has to."

"But we still don't know how to get to him," Han said. "We can't make a move blind."

The others murmured to one another for a few moments, then the door opened and the DEA agent Riley walked in, carrying a file. "You got a message," she said.

Hobbs moved to take it from her, but she held it to the side. "Not you," she said, and then walked around him, offering it to Dom. "It's for you."

Dom took it with a wary expression.

"Where did you get that?" Hobbs asked, frowning.

"It was left at the docks, taped to the dead guard," Riley said as Dom withdrew a piece of paper that was stained with dried blood.

It read only:

_Toretto,_

_Tomorrow, 11 pm. 112 Corporate Row, North._

_Come alone._

He looked at it, then up at the others. Mia took it, shaking her head as she read it.

"You can't go, Dom. It's obviously a trap."

"I have to go. He has Letty."

The others were silent, knowing that arguing with him would be pointless. Mia sighed and nodded, relenting.

"I'll stay nearby," Brian said. "In case I need to get to you fast. And we'll hook up some surveillance in your car… keep eyes on you."

"That's the best we can do," Hobbs agreed. "We need to get a hook in this guy. And fast, before more people end up dead."


	11. Defeated

_"I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone._  
I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn.  
I threw your shit into a bag and pushed it down the stairs.  
I crashed my car into the bridge. 

_I don't care, I love it. I don't care."_

_I Love It – Icona Pop_

Defeated

Letty had argued with Owen for days. But no matter what she said he wouldn't budge.

"This isn't going to get Dom or his team off your back," she insisted as he walked with her to her car.

"It will if you do what you're supposed to," he replied, passing her a pistol. "I'm aware you know how to shoot one of those."

She stared at the weapon on her hand, a sinking feeling in her chest. When she'd been younger her father had taken her to the shooting range. He'd kept a gun in the house and thought she should know how to use it. She knew that his reasoning hadn't been so she could shoot it at someone she loved. She stared at Owen.

"Fuck you."

He grabbed her by the jaw as she tried to turn away, his smile feral like a wolf's.

"Don't forget our conversation. You'd do best to do what I want."

"I'm not your bitch, Owen," she said, knocking his arm away. "Keep your hands off me."

"Get in the car," he told her.

Glaring at him she went around to the driver's side while he got into the passenger side. Letty dropped the pistol into the center console and shut it, starting the engine. She drove out of the factory and down to the corporate section of the city. She turned into a tiered parking garage attached to one of the buildings, driving up to the fifth floor. Owen got out. He paused beside her car, door held open.

"Remember what I told you. A child's life depends on your actions tonight."

She grit her teeth and said nothing, peeling away with a squeal of tires as soon as he shut the door.

Letty paused at the garage exit, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. Her phone beeped with an incoming text and she sighed, reaching over to pick it up.

Owen.

She fairly growled as she opened it to find a video. Letty hit the icon to play it. There was a faint rustling sound and a phone viewer turned to offer a view of a grassy area. There was a woman's voice speaking in soft tones of Spanish. Childish laughter. The camera focused on a baby's chubby hand. It reached through the long grass to come closer. Sunlight glinted off the blonde hair of the baby as he crawled towards the camera. A grin spread over his round face and he reached out for the person holding he phone.

"Take him," a man said, and a plump, tanned woman with a vaguely familiar face hurried to pick up the baby, her dark eyes full of tears.

"Please, just let us go…"

The video prompted ended.

Letty stared at her phone, feeling sick, angry and trapped. Owen already had the poor kid in his grasp. And if her memory was working, Dom and Mia's aunt along with him.

If she didn't do what he asked would their lives be forfeit? She needed to find some way to warn them.

She glanced at the clock. She was already late for her meeting with Dom. Shifting into gear she pulled out into the street. Her only company was her own thoughts as she approached the address. Glancing at her cell phone she licked her lips nervously. She pocketed it as she turned down one of the narrow streets to see Dom's car parked along a towering glass office building. She opened the center console, staring down at the weapon with a hollow feeling in her stomach. She knew she couldn't do what Owen wanted her to. She'd have to hope she could fool him a bit longer. Just to buy Dom time to make sure his nephew was safe.

When she pulled up alongside the Charger she sat there for a long moment, gathering her nerve. Dom opened the door of his car and stood up, climbing out. Letty reached for the pistol, raising it in his direction as she stepped out of her own vehicle. He stared at her in confusion.

'I'm sorry,' she thought as she stared back coldly.

"Stay away from me, Dom," she said as she pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out. She saw it hit his shoulder, knocking him back. An expression of disbelief crossed his face. Letty slowly slid back into her car, the cell phone falling from her jean pocket to the street with a clatter.

Dom pressed his hand over the bullet wound as she yanked her car door closed and drove away. She closed her eyes briefly, and then opened them to watch him grow further away in the rearview mirror. She only hoped her plan worked.


	12. Riven

_"I take a deep breath everytime I pass your door_  
I know you're there but I can't see you anymore  
And that's the reason you're in the dark  
I've been a stranger ever since we fell apart  
And I feel so helpless here  
Watch my eyes are filled with fear  
Tell me do you feel the same  
Hold me in your arms again" 

_I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris_

Riven

Dom pressed his hand tightly over his wound as he watched the tail lights of Letty's car disappear down the darkened road. His arm throbbed, but he stood still in a state of shock, unable to come to terms with the fact that she'd just shot him. He could feel the blood running down his arm, and the slow trickle jolted him out of his stupor. He could hear Brian calling his name and reached into the car for his phone, which he'd left on speaker.

"What the hell was that?" Brian asked. "She just shot you!"

"I noticed," Dom muttered, his gaze slipping to the street where she'd been parked only minutes before. He spotted the black gleam of the cellphone under the streetlights. He crossed towards it, leaning down to pick it up. "She dropped her phone…"

"What? Bring it back here. Maybe it's a clue. Maybe it will explain what is going on… give us something," Brian replied.

"I'd like if it explained why the hell she shot me," Dom said, bringing up the last open application. "Text message from Shaw."

He carried the phone back to his car, grimacing at the pain in his arm as he slid into the driver's side. He scrolled up through a list of mostly one-sided texts, orders or instructions from Shaw.

"Bring it back to the base," Brian suggested. "We need to take care of your bullet wound."

"Yeah, sure I'll be right there…" he replied, "I'm hanging up. I'll meet you."

Dom wanted to watch the video, and he wanted to do it before Brian got a chance to see it. He disabled the surveillance in his vehicle and then reached into the glove compartment where he had tossed a rag earlier. He winced as he tied it tightly around his wound, then started up his car.

Leaving it in park he pressed play on the video on Letty's phone. A chill slid down his spine as he watched the joyful face of his nephew come into sight. It was all he could do not to crush the phone in his hands. Right now this was all they had. He tossed it angrily into the passenger seat.

That was what Shaw had on Letty.

Family. It always came back to family.

He had to get her out of there, and fast. Dom was just pulling out into the street when he heard the loud roar of an engine and turned his head to look down the street.

There, just in the driveway leading into a parking garage, the strange military vehicle that Shaw and his team had… liberated from the custom's holding docks. Dom could clearly see Shaw himself sitting in the driver's seat. The other man looked back, grinning fiercely. He raised his hands in a salute.

Locking his jaw Dom spun his car around and drove towards him. Shaw gunned his engine and drove into the garage. Dom gave chase. The two vehicles roared up along the ramps for several levels. Then Shaw jerked his wheel and spun around on wheels that moved a full 180 with ease. Dom cursed, down shifting quickly as he jerked to a stop, just inches away from the other car. It had not escaped his notice that the front of the strange vehicle was ramp-like with a slicing metal dorsal. He was not so interested in having his car launched into the air and flipped.

Shaw opened the hatch of his vehicle, motioning for Dom to get out of his car. He waited until Shaw was clear of his bat mobile before stepping out of the Charger, arms crossed over his chest. The motion pulled at his injury but he made no sign of it.

"Toretto," Shaw said slowly. "I've heard a lot about you."

Dom said nothing in reply. He was considering how likely it was that Owen didn't have some sort of contingency plan and he could get away with killing his ass right here and now.

Shaw seemed to read his mind, because he smiled with a sort of knowing look in his eyes. "You want Letty alive and you let me return to my people tonight. They have their orders if I don't show."

"What do you want?" Dom asked.

"I want you to walk away from this. You can't stand to lose what I'd take away from you. You see, your sense of honor… your idea of family, these things make you vulnerable. I can reach out and break you whenever I want."

Dom's jaw ticked slightly. "I'm not walking away until I get Letty. And stop you."

Owen laughed. "You think you can do that? There's going to be collateral damage. And believe me; I'll enjoy watching you suffer."

"You're going to be disappointed," Dom replied, then turned and walked back to his car, getting in.

Shaw watched him for a moment, that cocky grin still plastered on his face. "We'll see."

Dom turned his car and began to drive out of the garage. He needed to get this video back to Brian and make plans. He glanced in his rearview mirror as Owen climbed into his vehicle. The other man pulled down the hatch and then pressed a button. Dom cursed and swerved around the corner as a pair of small missiles flew out and tore through the concrete. The garage began to rumble and shake. Dom shifted into a higher gear, drifting around the next turn.

This time, Shaw gave chase, firing explosives out behind him into the concrete pillars and supports. The garage began to crumble down above them. The roll cage of the military vehicle would protect him if they got caught in the rubble, but Dom would be crushed under the hood of the Charger.

More and more explosions chased after Shaw as he sped closer and Dom drifted around the final turn, launching out the drive and into the street. He turned the wheel hard and sped down the street. Shaw burst out just as the tiered garage collapsed with a loud crash, spewing dust and crumbling against the nearby buildings.

Dom narrowed his eyes, watching Owen disappear in the other direction for a long moment, then he turned down several side streets, taking a round-about way back towards the base.

It was nearly an hour later by the time he pulled up at the warehouse, and his shoulder was aching something fierce. He pulled his car into the large garage area and Brian and Mia hurried out to meet him.

Mia hugged him, her dark eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the bloody cloth on his shoulder. "We were so worried," she said. "I can't believe Letty shot you!"

"She did it because Shaw blackmailed her. There's something I need to show you guys."

"After we take care of that bullet wound," Mia insisted, tugging him towards the living quarters in the back.

Dom wanted to insist but he knew that Mia would be in no shape to help him once he showed her the video, so he only nodded silently.

Once she removed the bullet and stitched him up he settled her and Brian around the table with him and showed them the video.

Mia's eyes widened in shock and she dropped the phone to the table with a clatter.

"How the hell did Owen Shaw get to my son!?" she demanded, slamming her hand down as she stood, her eyes teary.

"I don't know," Dom admitted.

"And you think this is why Letty shot you?" Brian asked softly, reaching out to pull his wife into his arms. Mia shoved him away, then relented when he pulled her back against him, stroking her hair. "We're going to make sure he's safe, I promise."

"Probably. This video was sent to her. Shaw must have been pressing her to make sure she cooperated." He pulled out his own phone. "Let Hobbs know about the situation at home. He should be able to get people in there and make sure Vince and Aunt Maria are safe. I'm going to call Elena and see if she can go by also. Keep an eye on them."

Mia nodded. "That will make me feel better," she admitted. "But we can't forget about Letty. She gave you this information on purpose. Which means she's going to be in even more danger."

"We'll get her out of there," Dom assured, raising the phone to his ear.

Brian nodded, taking the cell from the table and going with Mia to find Hobbs. They had to keep their family safe. All of them.


	13. Vanquished

_"It doesn't make us strong_  
It doesn't make us weak  
Tongue tied to service like shy pre-teens  
I could only breathe  
Left to believe  
I'm alone 

_It didn't come easy I'm glad it was hard  
Worth the wait to give you my heart"_

_BTSK – MS MR_

Vanquished

Letty was more than aware that Owen was pissed at her, but she also couldn't care less. He didn't know about the stunt she'd pulled by dropping her phone, which meant she still had some time, but once he found out she would be in serious trouble. She planned to be out of his reach by then.

Once she got back to the compound she found Vegh absorbed in some sort of computer game and grabbed one of the many spare cell phones the young tech kept around for seemingly no reason. She would have made small talk, but the girl was clearly absorbed in her game. She waved her off after saying that Letty should probably make herself scarce.

"The boss is on his way back and he's not happy."

Letty wasn't at all surprised but she just shrugged and went up to her room. There was not a lock on her door but she wedged a chair under the handle and went into the connected bathroom. She pulled that door closed, locking it. She sat down on the closed toilet and dialed the number for her cell phone.

It rang four times and she was half expecting it to go to voicemail, when it clicked on.

"Hello?" Brian's voice filtered through what sounded like speakerphone on the other end.

"Brian?" she asked, speaking softly as she glanced warily at the door.

"Letty?" It was Mia's surprised voice that replied, sharp with excitement and what also sounded like nerves. Dom had probably already shown them the video. At least Mia was safe. Though she was probably regretting having left her baby behind now.

"Yeah, listen I don't have very long. So I need you guys to listen. Is Dom there?"

"He's in the other room talking to Hobbs," Mia said. "Should I get him?"

"I don't have time," Letty replied. "Just tell him that I'm sorry I shot him. Owen… knows about our past. My past. He wanted me to prove my loyalty by taking Dom out. I obviously couldn't do that."

"Why don't you just get out of there?" Brian asked.

"If I run he would hurt your baby. I can't do that."

She heard Mia sob in the background and winced.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"It's _not_ your fault," Mia replied. "He's going to pay for what he's doing to our family."

"Hell yeah he is," she replied softly, smiling a little. "I need you guys to make sure that your kid is safe. That's what you can do for me right now. Until then I can't get out of here. I have to keep letting Owen think I'm playing his game, at least a little bit. I don't want to hurt you guys but… I might have to," she murmured.

"We understand," Brian replied. "You need to keep yourself safe, Letty. If anything happens to you…"

"Dom would be lost," Mia finished softly. "Brian was with him after he thought you died. He didn't care if he lived. He was so reckless. More than he's ever been. I don't think he felt like he had a reason to live. Not until we told him about the baby."

Letty felt an ache in her chest, to know that a man like Dom had been reduced to that. Seemed they were both crazy about each other. No matter how fucked up they were.

"What's his name?" she asked softly.

"Vince," Mia said softly.

Letty blinked. "What? Seriously? Why…?"

"Vince died keeping us safe in Rio," Brian replied, his voice somber. "He saved Mia's life, he saved mine too."

"Vince is dead?" Letty's voice cracked in slight disbelief.

"Yeah. He had a wife and a son though… they still live in Rio," Mia replied.

"God, I…" she fell silent, hearing the heavy pounding on her door and Shaw yelling her name. "I have to go. Just tell Dom what I told you guys. Once little Vince is safe you can text me at this number, okay? I have to go." She hung up hastily, then looked around the bathroom.

She grabbed a dry washcloth and wrapped the cellphone in it, then lifted the trash bag and placed the phone under it inside the bin. She'd have to relocate it to a better hiding place, but it would do for the moment.

Owen was pounding on the door again, rattling the handle as he threatened to break it down. Rolling her eyes Letty unlocked the bathroom and went out into her room.

"I just wanted some damn privacy for my shower tonight," she complained. "What do you want?"

He stopped trying to force the door, for the moment. "I don't want to talk to you through a door, Letty."

"I don't really want to see your face right now," she replied. "Can it wait?"

"Don't push me," he said softly. "You're lucky I'm so forgiving. The stunt you pulled tonight was not amusing."

"What stunt? I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

"I believe I told you to take care of your former lover," he said, his voice a low growl. Letty grimaced at the tone.

"I took care of him, like you asked. I told him to back off. I warned him." She crossed her arms over her chest, even though Owen couldn't see her through the door. "I do believe I told you that it wasn't going to work."

"You know that I didn't want you to give him a mere warning."

"What do you mean _I know_? You really expected me to kill him, Owen? I'm not you. I can't murder people."

"Especially people you care about?" he asked, and his voice had a tinge of amusement in it.

"You wouldn't know anything about that," Letty replied. "I did what you asked of me. Nothing more."

"I suppose in the future I'm going to have to be more specific," Owen said. He lingered silently outside her door for a moment before she heard he step back. "Remember what's at stake here. I expect you downstairs early tomorrow. We have a job to prepare for."

She waited until she heard him walking away, then closed her eyes and sunk down to sit on the foot of her bed. So many thoughts were whirling through her head. All the things she'd missed, losing one Vince and gaining another. She felt like Owen was responsible, like he'd stolen those years from her. Those years she could have been with her real family.

She had to get away from him. But she wanted him to suffer too.


	14. Mutilated

_"Leave the past behind, just walk away  
When it's over, and the heart break  
And the cracks begin to show"_

_Cracks - Freestylers_

Mutilated

Dom hung up the phone and turned to Mia and Brian.

"Elena says she's coordinating with Hobbs' guys in The Canary Islands. They're going to get Vince out of there, but for now they have the place under surveillance. Apparently Shaw's guy isn't hurting them. Just watching. He's definitely using the baby as leverage to control Letty."

"So we can't get her out, and she can't really help us until he's safe," Mia said.

"But the longer she's in there with Shaw the more likely he'll find out that she did help us. Not to mention the danger she's already in just being there," Brian added.

"So what do we do?" Mia asked.

"Let me do my job," Hobbs put in as he walked into the room. "We have eyes on Shaw's guy at your place. We will not let him hurt anyone. Trust me. But right now I need you guys to do what you came here to do, which is help me catch Shaw."

They gathered around, the others abandoning their own work to stand beside Dom and Brian. Hobbs and his partner Riley stood across from them over the table.

"What Shaw and his team are after is military grade software," Hobbs told them. "We traced his activity through Interpol and our own military contacts." He motioned to Tej, who moved to bring something up on the screens. "This computer chip is what they're after."

They all turned to look at it, though to be honest most of them didn't really know what the big deal was.

"There are a small number of these in the world, and they move the location every three days, so Shaw has a window of time to move in," Hobbs explained.

"Do they already have the locations?" Brian asked.

"They do," Riley offered, looking at them. "Shaw and Letty were a distraction. They used another driver in one of their custom cars to lead us and Interpol on a wild goose chase while their tech experts broke into Interpol HQ and hacked their database."

"So how do we find out which base they're heading for?" Roman asked.

"We were hoping your inside contact might be able to shed some light on that," Hobbs said, glancing at them.

"Letty said she won't make a move against Shaw until she knows my son is safe," Mia said. "He's not safe. How can you guarantee that for me?"

"My men are there right now."

"They don't have my baby. Shaw's man does," Mia stared him down.

Hobbs frowned, clasping his hands behind his back. "If we move in then Shaw knows and your friend is in danger. So how do you guys want to play this?"

"We go in at the same time," Brian said. "We'll be going after Shaw but we need your word that your men will be moving in to get our son at the same time. We don't give Shaw a chance to hurt anyone."

"First we have to find out where Shaw is," Tej put in. "We can't move against a man when we don't have a location. And right now we don't have a location."

"That's where Letty has to come in," Brian replied, looking to Dom. "We get the location from her, tell her the plan and then move as fast as we can."

"Doesn't that put her in danger?" Gisele asked.

"She's in danger already," Dom told her. "And if we're ready to move then it won't be for long."

"So make the call, Toretto," Hobbs said. "I'll make mine. My people will be ready to move on your word."

Dom nodded, reaching for the cell phone that Letty had left behind. He looked at the others, then turned to walk out of the room. They let him have his privacy.

When the door closed behind him Dom found himself staring down at the phone. He took a slow breath, then dialed the last number that had called. It rang… four times and he thought it was going to go to voicemail, then it clicked, like someone was picking up. He waited.

A breath "Hello?" Letty's voice on the other line.

Dom swallowed. "I need to know where you are," he said softly.

She sighed and there was silence. "Please tell me you watched the video," she murmured.

"I did. We're figuring it out. But we have to get you out of there." He heard the hesitation in her silence, the fear. "I promise you that he's gonna be safe. He's my nephew. He's our family too."

"You're right," she said softly. "Okay… so the place is near the train tracks. There's a pipeline that runs there under the bridge and it's a converted factory. Overgrown old lot. Looks abandoned from the outside. But Owen has security. You come and he'll see you before you're even in the neighborhood. He's tapped into the whole of London's security systems. I don't think you're going to be able to sneak up on him."

"Do you know where he's moving?"

"No…" she murmured. "We just move when he says to move. Asking too many questions is dangerous."

"We'll be there to get you soon."

"You'd better," she breathed. "I'll be waiting."

The call disconnected with a click and Dom turned, tucking it in his pocket before he went back into the other room. "We have a location. Tej I need you to bring it up for us. Shaw has access to all the live feed in the city, so we need to shut that down the minute we get to his part of town. He also has his own security system, so he'll know we're coming."

"I can have the London Security Service shut down the cameras," Hobbs said, pulling out his phone. "As for the rest of that, you'll have to figure out how to handle it."

"Can jam them on site," Tej said. "It's got a decent range, we're talking a few blocks. But I'd have to come with ya'll."

"He can ride with me," Roman said. "We're gonna have to make this tight. Do it quick. Get in before they get to their cars, their weapons."

"We're ready," Brian said, then looked to Mia. "You stay here with Hobbs and Riley."

"I want to come with you guys," she insisted.

"We have a son now. At least one of us should stay safe."

She looked like she was going to argue again, but only nodded and kissed him. She turned to hug Dom tightly. "Go get her," she murmured, then drew back.

The others were arming themselves as Tej loaded his equipment into Roman's car. Dom surveyed them all and then gave him nods of affirmative before he got behind the wheel of his own car. He looked at Hobbs and rolled down the window.

"Don't forget your promise. Make sure my nephew is safe." He started up the car and drove off with the roar of the engine behind him. The others followed, filing out of the garage. They were going to get Letty and bring her home. Finally.


	15. Reconstruct

_"Had a handle on it_  
My life, I broke it  
When I get to where I'm going, gonna have you saying it  
Live fast, die young  
Bad girls do it well" 

_Bad Girls – M.I.A._

After Dom's call Letty had laid low, staying up in her room, cellphone tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. She struggled to stay calm as she paced the floor, looking out the window now and then. Her palms felt sweaty and she rubbed them against the thighs of her jeans. She knew that it wouldn't be long until Dom and the others arrived. Soon she'd be getting out of here.

Soon she'd be going home.

She was dragged away from those hopeful thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps. Turning away from the window she looked towards the door as it swung open. Owen was standing in the doorway with Jah at his shoulder.

"Get ready to go," he said. "We have our target and we're moving out."

"Now?" she asked, slight annoyance in her tone. She'd expected Vegh to take a little longer getting the information off the data storage unit they'd pulled.

"Now. Grab whatever gear you need and let's go." He turned and left.

Cursing, Letty grabbed a bag from the closet and stuffed whatever she could fit into it. She knew that Owen would be pissed if she dawdled. She'd just have to hope that Dom and the others could catch up with them. Maybe she could use this chance to make her own break for it.

Not knowing what else to do she pulled out the phone to text Dom. He was probably already on his way here, but maybe he'd still see it.

_We're on the move._

It would have to do. It was all she had time to chance.

She came down into the garage to find that Jah and Ivory were packing up the last of the tech. A large truck sat near the loading bay with its back open. She could see one of the flip cars had already been loaded, as well as Owen's personal vehicle. There was space for one other car, and Owen was backing her Jensen into the spot. She narrowed her eyes slightly, standing near the bottom of the loading ramp to watch him step out of the car. He strolled towards her, tossing her the keys which she caught in her hand.

"Are we taking the Jeep?"

"Ivory has the Jeep. You will be with me in our newest acquisition."

When she looked at him in confusion he grinned, motioning for her to follow him outside. There beside the loading bay doors stood a massive green tank with chain tread and an intimidating looking cannon.

"We're taking a tank…?" She raised a brow. "You expecting trouble?"

"Always expecting, darling," he told her with a grin, reaching out to run his finger along the line of her jaw. "And there are also some things that I _know_."

Letty stared at him evenly, not batting a lash, daring him to accuse her of something. But Owen only stared back for a long moment, before heading back into the bay.

"Get the rest of this stuff loaded up and let's move out!" he ordered. He looked to Vegh. "You're in the other flip car. We'll have you take point and we'll bring up the rear." He scanned the room, looking at them all carefully. His eyes lingered on Letty. "You all know the plan."

The rest of them nodded sharply and made for their vehicles. Jah was stuck driving the truck, but that also meant she was now going to be stuck alone in the tank with Owen. Letty was more than aware that Shaw did not trust her, but she didn't trust him either. She checked the clip of her pistol and tucked it into the back of her jeans, reluctantly heading out to the tank. With her car locked securely away in the truck there was no way to make a break for it now. She'd have to hope Dom and his crew followed them to wherever they were headed.

Owen waited for her to climb into the tank before he followed, slipping into the command chair. Letty slid into the gunner's seat, hoping that he wouldn't ask her to fire the cannon. Shaw took control, guiding the tank out slowly. Vegh pulled out of the garage in front of them and sped ahead. Letty clenched her jaw as they rolled forward, seemingly faster than she would have expected such an armored vehicle to move at. Owen grinned at her, showing all his teeth, as if pleased by the expression on her face.

"Experimental tech. It's based on a US design, which relies on jet type engines to propel it forward. Also the body is lighter than a traditional tank."

She stared at him. "Where the hell did you get this thing?"

"I have lots of friends, Letty," he told her and she wrinkled her nose at the way he said her name. "Lots of connections. You'd do well to remember that."

She looked away, studying the display to her right which gave them a radar view for several blocks. It was late at night so there were few cars on the road right now. She figured with this tank rolling around that was probably a good thing. In the radar she caught a glimpse of movement at the edges of the neighborhood, approaching from the west. She didn't say anything though. It could just be someone out for a night drive, and she wasn't going to alert Owen unless it was fairly obvious they were being followed.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The software we're looking for is being held in an air force base right here in London. Isn't that handy?" He grinned over his shoulder at her.

Letty stared back. "And what? You're going to launch an attack on a base?"

"Of course not. We're better when mobile. The plan is already in motion." Shaw clipped on his headset, turning his attention to the road ahead. "Status report?"

A tinny voice replied through the headset that Letty couldn't hear over the noise of the tank's engines. Instead she glanced at the radar, seeing even more movement from the west. Blips of color began to appear.

She pressed her lips into a tight line, then glanced at Owen. "We have some movement to the West."

"Hmm…" he flipped at the headset. "Do we have any police activity in this area?" he asked. He got an answer and turned to look at Letty, studying the radar readout for a moment. "Not police. Could just be civilians at this point. Keep an eye on them, though. I'm betting they aren't."

They followed Vegh onto the highway, Jah taking the truck off the first exit towards the private airfield. She knew that once they got what they were after that's where they'd go, board the first plane out of the country. She didn't want to be on that plane with them.

Letty was startled out of the thought by the faint beep of the radar's alarm as something started coming up on them. Even this experimental tank wasn't faster than a car going at top speed. She looked over to meet Owen's gaze. He raised a brow, then activated the comms. "We have movement. Anyone got a visual?"

"It's that Toretto guy and his crew," Ivory replied after a moment. "They're coming up fast."

"We can't outrun them in a tank," Letty said.

"We don't have to," Owen replied, smiling at her. "Get me a target." He turned back to the comm. "Vegh I want you to intercept and take out as many as you can."

"You've got it," the other woman replied.

Letty stared at Shaw. "You can't just go shooting a tank in the middle of a highway."

"I can, and I will. Get me a target, or I'll get on the phone with Klaus. He's enjoying his time in the Canary Islands, no doubt. Even though he doesn't really like babysitting."

"You're an ass," she muttered, turning back to the display, her fingers numb.

She sincerely hoped that Dom had a plan, Letty thought, scanning for a target with the radar. When Owen turned back away, satisfied that she was following orders, she reached one hand back to close around the handle of her gun.

There was no going back.


	16. Amend

_"You stayed in my head where I saw you all the time_  
I didn't think you'd care, I didn't think you'd care  
I found you one day with a mouth full of attitude  
And you stole me away, you stole me away" 

_Magic - Ladyhawke_

They had been only a few miles away from the location when the cell phone Letty had left for Dom beeped. He glanced at it, bringing up the text as he slowed slightly. Frowning he grabbed the communicator that Hobbs and Tej had set up for them.

"We have a complication," he said.

"What's that?" Brian's calm voice replied.

"They're on the move."

"Well, we're better in motion," Roman said. "Where they headed?"

"I don't know," Dom sighed.

"Let's just head to the location and see if we can catch up with them," Brian said. "Tej, can you tap into the security footage near that area?"

"I'll try," Tej replied.

Dom shifted gears and picked up speed. They had to move faster. If Shaw got away with Letty he had a sinking feeling he wouldn't see her again. He wouldn't accept that.

"I've got a hit," Tej said. "They're moving towards the highway." There was a pause. "And uh… guys? They… got a tank."

"A what?" Han asked.

"A mother-fucking tank," Tej replied. "How the hell are we supposed to take out a tank?"

"Can we use your tech scrambling software?" Brian asked.

"Hell no, man," Tej replied. "That's military shit. Best I can do is cut off their comms."

"So let's do that," Dom replied. "It can only help us if they can't communicate with each other."

"Dom," Hobbs' voice cut in. "We have a problem."

What now? He wondered, narrowing his eyes. "What?"

"The air force base in London had a security breach. Protocol dictates they move the software immediately."

"They shouldn't move it," Brian argued. "Shaw's team is better on the open road."

"Well it's too late for that," Riley's voice replied. "We tried to warn them, but they're already mobile."

"Where are they?" Dom asked.

"On the highway heading south towards your general location," Hobbs replied. "Shaw will attempt to intercept."

"Guess we better get them first," Roman put in.

"Guess we'd better," Dom agreed. "Han, you and Giselle move up and try to get control of one of their vehicles. You're not going up against a tank with those bikes."

"We'll be smaller targets at least," Giselle replied.

"Smaller and fast enough to get past its range. What else did you see on the road, Tej?"

"A Jeep, looked like one driver, the tank and one of those weird bat mobiles."

"Great," Brian muttered. "Watch out for that car. It took out plenty of London cops when they hit Interpol."

They'd all watched the footage Tej had pulled and were more than aware of the flipcar's abilities. Dom's hands tightened on his steering wheel.

"Brian, I need you on that one."

"Money says Shaw has Letty with him in the tank," the other man agreed. "I'll take the bat mobile's attention."

"That's what I'm betting," he agreed. "We ready for this?"

"Ready," they replied, no hesitation in a single voice. This was what family was about.

Dom drove onto the highway, flanked by Giselle and Han on their motorcycles. They sped ahead, leaning low. He watched their rear lights glowing red in the hazy darkness of London's dusk. He could see the hulking shape of the tank up ahead. It wouldn't be fast enough to keep the distance between them.

The bikes both swerved around something suddenly, pulling up fast towards the tank and Dom saw the low, dark shape of the flipcar hurtling towards him. He narrowed his eyes, shifting up to pick up speed. If they wanted to play chicken then he would oblige.

As the car drew closer he saw the pale face and waves of blonde hair. Not Shaw, not Letty. He turned his wheel, swerving at the last minute to go around her. The woman spun her own wheel, quickly turning with the car's unique wheels. Dom wasn't about to let her catch up to him. He gunned it towards the tank.

"We have the Jeep;" Giselle's voice was breathless over the comm. "The driver is incapacitated. Only one male."

That confirmed their suspicions. Letty was in the tank. Most likely with Shaw. He still had no real idea how he was planning to stop a tank, but right now it was more important to get this flipcar off his ass. He glanced in his rearview mirror, seeing Brian approaching quickly from behind. He rammed into the flipcar's rear bumper as Roman came up in the other direction. Noticing their attempt to corral her, the blonde pressed on her breaks, and Roman's car slammed forcefully into the back of hers. However, the metal body hardly took a dent, while the front of Rome's car was crushed, stalling him in the road. He cursed.

The tank's cannon slowly swiveled around, then fired, hitting way off mark down the road. _Letty_ , Dom thought. It listed slightly to one side before righting itself and the cannon move again, retargeting. When it fired this time it was a lot closer, blasting up the road so that pavement scattered across the top of his car. He was closing the distance though; Letty had bought him enough time. Surely Shaw would make her pay for it.

Pulling to the side Dom sped up to try and come up alongside the tank. Brian dropped back slightly in hope of pulling the flipcar's attention. He succeeded, the blonde yanking the wheel to knock into him hard. Brian fought to keep control, pulling ahead again.

"Dom how are you going to take that thing out?" he asked. "We can't ram a tank."

Dom was about to reply when the tank began to slow, listing off to one side. "We may not have to," he murmured, watching as the tank rolled to a sluggish stop, slowing to pull up alongside it. The blonde in the flipcar had noticed too, and she turned quickly, speeding away.

"What the hell happened?" Brian asked. "Tej did you do something?"

"Nuh uh man it wasn't me," the other man replied as he and Roman climbed out of the wrecked car.

Brian pulled up on the other side of the stopped tank just as the hatch popped. Dom climbed out of his car as Letty pulled herself out of the armored vehicle. He could see the glint of blood on her face in the moonlight, and she wobbled slightly. He moved quickly to help her down as she climbed off the tank. Her feet had barely hit the ground when he had her in his arms, holding her close. She wrapped her own arms around him, taking one small, shaky breath before she drew back. It felt like a massive weight off his shoulders to have her there, to be able to touch her, to see her. He couldn't tear his eyes off her, couldn't stop staring into those deep, dark eyes of hers.

"You'd better get him before he wakes up," she said, motioning to the tank. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she stared back at him. Dom was certain he saw relief in her gaze.

"Shaw?" Brian asked, walking towards them.

She nodded, offering the other man a slight smile. "Just pistol whipped him a little bit," she winced when Dom tilted her head, examining the gash above her eyebrow. "But not before he got a good one in," she admitted.

"I'll get him," Brian said, climbing into the tank.

Keeping one arm around Letty Dom radioed back to Hobbs. "We have Shaw and his crew. Most of them. One ran."

"And another one took the truck to the private airfield just north of London," Letty added. "You should be able to have him picked up."

"Will do," Hobbs replied. "We had the convoy reroute back to the military base. We'll swing by to pick up Shaw and his guys on the way there. Then we can talk about your pardons."

"What about my nephew?" Dom asked, feeling the tension in Letty's body.

"He's fine. We worked with the local law enforcement in the Canary Islands and they have him and his caretaker in their custody right now. Shaw's man is locked up. We'll get you a video feed back at the base."

Hobbs' reply had them both relaxing, Letty leaning into him to wrap her arms around him. He was beginning to feel like everything was going to be all right. Even if it had almost seemed a little _too_ easy.

"I'd really appreciate that," Brian said, then paused. "Dom could you give me a hand with this guy? He's dead weight."

Pressing a kiss against Letty's head Dom reluctantly pulled away from her. He climbed up the tank to help his friend and together they hauled Shaw out. He stared down at the unconscious face of the man who had made the last few days of his life hell. To finally have Letty back but be unable to get her. To know his family was in danger. Shaw had used them to get to him. But ultimately he'd failed. Now, with a bruise blossoming at his temple and blood on his face he didn't look so threatening. But appearances could be deceiving. Dom didn't know if he'd rest easy until they were back home in LA.


	17. Repair

_"Still far away from where I belong_  
but it's always darkest before the dawn  
so you can doubt and you can hate  
but I know, no matter what it takes  
I'm coming home" 

_Coming Home – Skylar Grey_

The ride to the base had seemed too short to Letty, and yet also too long. She kept going over what had happened in the tank. Owen, ordering her to target Dom. Ordering her to fire. How angry he'd been when she missed. How he'd lunged for her, the solid feel of his fist connecting with her jaw, and her head connecting with the side of the tank. Her head had spun and she'd gone for the gun in her pants. Part of her had wanted to pull the trigger, but she wasn't a killer. Letty had brought the gun up hard, catching him in the temple. He'd crumpled to the floor.

She had stared at his unconscious form, breathing heavily, eyes wide. Only when the tank had rolled to a stop had she moved, climbing out of the vehicle. Her head was spinning, black spots dancing in front of her eyes. She'd heard the roar of an engine.

And then Dom had been there, pulling her into his arms and she'd felt safe.

At last.

Now Mia and Brian's son was safe, Shaw was in custody, and soon they'd be heading home. She should feel nothing but happy. But there were other feelings too. Confusion. Anger. Sadness.

She had spent the last two years without her family. She'd missed life-changing events. She'd missed the day little Vince was born. She hadn't seen his namesake before he'd died. Hadn't been there with them to pull that job.

And she knew there was more. All the empty space between them with everything Dom wasn't saying, but had to tell her. She knew that it wouldn't be long before they had to talk. She knew she was going to hear things she didn't want to hear. And they still had to hash out what had happened between them in the DR, the way he'd left her. A part of her wasn't sure if they'd be able to move on from this together.

She still loved him. She knew that much. But she didn't know if she could forgive him as easily as she could love him.

Silence had stretched between them for the first half of the drive to the base. Her head was throbbing and the blood had dried on her skin. She desperately wanted a shower and a long nap.

Letty startled at the feel of Dom's big hand curling around her shoulder, the press of his arm against her back. She closed her eyes, not leaning into him, but reaching up to rest her hand over his and squeeze. It was a reassurance she could offer for the moment.

"How do you feel?" he asked, rubbing his palm over her soft skin.

She sighed, leaning her head back to rest against his arm. "Head hurts," she muttered. "Otherwise… I feel… strange. Not quite whole."

"We'll be home soon," he assured her.

"Back in LA. But that isn't what I'm talking about Dom. Things have changed since we were last together. We can't just… pick things back up and expect everything to be fine."

"I know," he said, surprising her.

She opened her eyes, looking at him with one raised brow. "You know…?"

"I know a lot of things I didn't the last time we were together," he said, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I made a lot of bad decisions, Letty. I lost you once. I thought it was for good. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

She looked at him wish an expression of slight disbelief. "Really…"

"Really. I promise we'll talk about this once things are settled."

She gave him a small smile before closing her eyes again. She doubted it would be easy, but she'd been willing to fight for him before. Maybe things would be different now that he seemed willing to meet her halfway.

Letty lifted her head a while later to find that they had arrived at the base and passed through a check point. She could see Hobbs' SUV up ahead as it pulled up outside a building. Several armed men were waiting out front. Hobbs unloaded Owen and Ivory from the back of the car and they were taken into the building under guard. She watched quietly, feeling unsettled. Owen didn't even look the slightest bit defeated.

Dom got out of the car and she followed suit. Her head was hurting less now, but she was feeling more than a little tired. She let Dom take her by the arm and guide her inside. When they stepped into what looked like a large garage Owen and Ivory were not in sight. Hobbs was standing with a man in fatigues with obvious rank, going over some paperwork.

She stayed close to Dom, feeling out of place and distrustful of all the military people working around them. When the door opened again she felt some relief in seeing Han. He grinned and crossed to her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. A pretty woman trailed after him, long and lean with fine features. Something about her was vaguely familiar.

Letty stepped back as Han released her. "Good to see you're still kicking," he told her. "We missed you in Rio."

She smiled back, though there was pain behind it. "Wish I'd been there, believe me."

"You're not the only one," Dom said, slipping his arm around her.

She nodded to Han. "Who's your friend?"

The woman behind him stepped forward, offering her hand. "Gisele. We met once before…"

"You worked for Braga," Letty finished. "I remember now."

"I did," Gisele agreed. "But I made a career change." She smiled when Han pulled her close and Letty returned the grin. Han seemed happy with her. And she'd come all this way to London to help Dom. She couldn't be that bad.

"We're all entitled to make bad decisions," Letty agreed, looking up when the door swung open again.

The two men that stepped into the room ribbing at each other weren't in the least familiar to her, but Brian was following after them laughing. He spotted her and punched the taller man in the shoulder, quieting them.

"Letty. These are my friends… Roman and Tej."

"Nice to meetcha," the man he called Roman said, offering her a hand which she shook. "Brian and I go way back. Back before he was in the big leagues, you hear?"

"I didn't know you ever made it _into_ the big leagues, O'Connor," she offered, raising a brow.

Roman laughed. "Oh man, ouch. I like a lady with attitude."

"You like _all_ the ladies," Tej supplied, shaking his head. "Don't fall for his sweet words this man is a cheap date."

Letty laughed too, feeling that the two men's presence had lightened the mood in the room. Brian was grinning and shaking his head, but he looked like he wanted to say something else, something serious trapped behind the teasing and jokes.

"Where's Mia?" Dom asked, turning his head.

Hobbs looked up from where he stood. "She was with Riley." He frowned, checking his watch, then looked to the commander at his side. "Did their vehicle pass through the check point?"

The commander made a call, before looking to Hobbs. "Never came through. They're not here."

Brian frowned. "So where the hell are they?"

Hobbs was already on his phone. He shook his head after a minute. "She's not picking up."

Letty looked between them, thinking back on what Owen had said earlier. _"I have lots of friends, Letty,"_ he'd told her. _"Lots of connections. You'd do well to remember that."_

"Shaw," she said, and all attention turned to her. "He… said he had lots of connections. He always seemed to be… one step ahead of you."

"Riley," Brian said, slamming his hand down on a nearby table. "She was working with him the whole time!"

Hobbs looked towards them. "I suppose we ought to have a chat with our friend Owen Shaw."


	18. Correct

_"Oh you got a fire and it's burning in the rain_  
Thought that it went out, but it's burning just the same  
And you don't look back, not for anything  
'Cause if you love someone, you love them all the same" 

_Heartbeat – The Fray_

Dom and Brian trailed Hobbs through the compound to a room in the back. There Shaw was being held; sitting on a chair, head down, and hands cuffed behind his back. A harsh overhead light shone down on him. He lifted his head and smiled slowly.

"Problem, gentlemen?"

"Where's Mia?" Brian demanded.

"For the moment, she's alive, as instructed." Shaw leaned back in his seat, his posture self-assured and relaxed.

Brian cursed and lunged at the man, punching him in the jaw hard before Hobbs grabbed him and pulled him back. "Rein in that temper. It does us no good here."

Dom narrowed his eyes on Shaw. Was this his game from the start?

"What do you want?" Hobbs asked.

"Now really," Shaw drawled slowly. "I thought even _you_ were more intelligent than that, Agent Hobbs. I want what I came for. I want me and my man to walk out of here with it. And I want you not to follow us. You're going to let us fly that tech right out of the country and to our buyer's waiting hands. And you're going to do it, or my people will kill Mia. You have mere hours now. I suggest you take me seriously."

Brian was tense at his side, but neither of them said anything as Hobbs paced across the room, brow furrowed. He had to be aware that they wouldn't let any harm come to Mia. That was not a part of negotiation.

Hobbs looked over at them. "You have to understand, the military here isn't going to agree with this. If I let Shaw go with that tech, I can't give you the pardons I promised."

"We're all going home together or we aren't going," Dom replied. "That includes Mia."

Hobbs nodded slowly, then crossed to uncuff Shaw. The criminal stood slowly, rubbing at his hand, and then at his jaw, which was already bruising.

"Mean punch you got there," he told Brian as he walked past them out of the room.

Dom exchanged a glance with Brian and they followed Hobbs and Shaw back out of the hallway. The rest of the team was waiting for them, various looks of confusion on their faces.

"Why the hell isn't he in handcuffs?" the General asked, drawing the attention of two of the troops in the room.

Everyone tensed as Hobbs walked towards the General slowly. "We have a hostage situation."

Letty frowned, already knowing that it was Mia, no doubt. Their earlier fears had been confirmed by Shaw from his own two lips.

"I don't care if you have a whole building full of hostages," the General replied. "We can't hand over that tech. It could take out a whole country."

"I know." Hobbs said and lifted his gun, pointing it at the General's face. "But you're going to let them go and take it anyway."

The General narrowed his eyes. "You're going to regret this," he muttered, but he motioned for his men to stand down.

They did, and Dom felt the tension in his shoulders ease slightly. He couldn't help but be surprised that Hobbs had taken their side. Perhaps there was more to the agent than he'd originally thought. With a call on the General's part the other man, who Letty had referred to as Ivory, was soon joining Shaw. A soldier carrying a small metal briefcase followed. With a clenched jaw he passed the case to Shaw, who smiled.

"Thank you kindly," he said, then turned and strolled out of the facility, Ivory following behind him.

As soon as the doors had closed, Dom turned to the others.

"Tej, I need you on that jamming signal, _now_."

Nodding, the other man hurried over to the computers, pushing one of the soldiers out of his way. Letty walked over to Dom's side.

"Owen isn't going to let Mia live just because you let him walk out. He doesn't do loose ends."

"I have no illusions that he will," Dom agreed, nodding at her.

"No cell phones in the London area will function for the next hour," Tej reported. "We better catch up with him before then."

"Or before he can get to Riley and Mia," Brian said.

They all hurried out to their cars; Brian climbing into the passenger side of Dom's car as Letty slid into the back. Hobbs got into one of the military Jeeps with a pair of his subordinates.

"We just got confirmation that Shaw and his man passed back out through the check point just now. We can catch up," Hobbs called.

Dom nodded as he got into his car and pulled out. Roman and Tej, Han and Gisele followed, with Hobbs bringing up the rear.

"Where would he head?" He asked Letty, glancing over his shoulder briefly.

"Probably to the private air field he was planning to use to get out of the country. Its north of the city."

Dom nodded, heading back onto the highway. It was still in the hours between midnight and 5 am, meaning there were very few cars on the road, which made it easy to spot Shaw. There was no way in hell he was getting away.

They had more than closed the distance by the time they pulled off the highway towards the airfield. They could see Shaw's car ahead of them, and he could no doubt see that he'd been followed. They drove through the open gate of the private airfield, which was unmanned.

A large cargo plane of military make was parked at the end of a long runway, the back open to accept cargo. They knew just what that cargo was.

As they approached they could see the figures of Riley and Mia standing near the top of the loading ramp. Shaw drove his vehicle up, shouting orders. Riley dragged Mia with her as she went to a comm device on the plane, communicating orders to the pilots through it. The plane's engines started up as they grew closer. It wasn't moving yet, but it would be, or the cargo doors would be shut before Hobbs and the others could follow.

Dom threw his car into a higher gear, punching it the remaining distance. They had already started to raise the cargo door, and his car bumped hard against the metal, the back tires jumping up after as he picked up speed, hurtling up the ramp. He downshifted again and slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop just behind Shaw's vehicle. The cargo door was closing behind them.

Mia stomped hard on Riley's foot while the other woman aimed her gun towards the car and fired. She cursed, her shot going wide as Mia ran off in between various cargo containers. Dom and the others got out of the car, taking cover behind the vehicle. Brian fired several return shots as Dom moved towards Shaw's car. Ivory was already out of the vehicle, though not armed. He threw a punch, which Dom dodged, before returning a blow. As the two men began to fight, Letty fished the pistol out of her pants that she'd tucked their earlier and circled around the car, going after Shaw.

It was impossible to know what was happening with Hobbs and the others on the outside, and none of them were concerned about that at the moment. Dom watched Shaw disappear between stacks of crates and yanked Ivory up by the shirt collar, throwing a punch at his face and then shoving him backwards. Letty had her pistol in her hand and slipped between the crates after Shaw as Brian faced down with Riley, shooting from behind the car until they were both out of ammo.

Ivory was stunned, but slowly pushing himself to his feet to come back after him. Dom met him with another powerful punch and the man sprawled backwards, out cold. He hurried after Letty and Shaw. He stepped out from between the crates to find her holding a gun on the man, who was still carrying the metal case with the stolen software. He had one hand up but Letty wasn't relaxing, her eyes narrowed.

"Drop the case and kick it over here," she ordered.

"Now, darling why would I do that?" Shaw asked.

"Because if you don't I'll shoot you."

"Will you really?" He sounded amused. "You haven't the stomach for it. You couldn't handle the casualties. Why would you start now?"

"I can still shoot you in the damn leg, Owen," Letty hissed. "Drop the fucking case."

"Do it, Shaw," Dom echoed.

Letty didn't bat at eyelash, her gun still evenly trained on the other man. Shaw turned though, slowly, his hand still up. He dropped the case to his feet.

"What a lovely reunion," Owen said, smiling at them. "Tell me, Toretto. Have you told Letty about your new girlfriend? The pretty blonde Brazilian? A cop too. It seems the Toretto siblings have a type."

Letty tensed beside him but didn't say anything, her eyes narrowed. Internally Dom cursed. He would have told Letty about Elena. But now wasn't the time to have this talk. Shaw was just bringing it up to fuck with them, to distract them.

"Kick the case over," Letty said, gritting her teeth. "Or I'll shoot you somewhere other than the leg." She trained the gun on Owen's crotch.

"Testy, aren't we?" Owen tsked, but he kicked the case towards them. It slid across the floor.

Dom bent to pick it up just as the plane slowly lurched into motion. Letty stumbled slightly and Shaw bolted. She fired after him, hitting a piece of cargo, and cursed under her breath. Dom tossed the case to her.

"I've got him," he told her, and hurried after Shaw.

Still, he could hear Letty cursing at him and following.


	19. Patch

_"Frankenstein and Dracula have nothing on you_  
Jekyll and Hyde join the back of the queue  
The female of the species is more deadly than the male 

_Oh she wants to conquer the world completely  
But first she'll conquer me discreetly  
The female of the species is more deadly than the male"_

_Female of the Species - Space_

She would have been lying if she said she wasn't angry. But she didn't have time to focus on that anger, and she knew that Shaw had brought up that little nugget of information in the hope it would mess with her. After all, he'd probably known it for a while. He seemed to know too damn much about everything.

Letty was annoyed at the bulk of the metal briefcase Dom had left her with, and she had lost sight of him and Owen among the stacks of cargo.

Cursing under her breath she turned left and came upon the inside wall of the plane. She could feel it rolling slowly beneath her feet, the occasional bump of the runway's uneven pavement, and knew that if something didn't happen soon then they would be airborne. The plane wasn't near up to proper speed, but once it got there it would take less than a minute for them to take off.

She stumbled as the plane listed to the side, as if turning, and couldn't help but wonder what the hell Hobbs and the others were doing on the outside.

Turning, Letty pushed away from the side of the place. She caught a glimpse of someone darting between stacks of boxes and ran after them. She emerged out into the forward part of the hold, faced with the back of a tall woman who had brown hair and a slightly muscular build. Letty vaguely recognized her as the woman who had been holding Mia hostage when they'd boarded the plane.

She was quiet as she slid back behind a stack of boxes. From what she could see, Riley was holding a gun on someone, but the cargo blocked her view of whoever it was. Still, it had to be one of her friends.

Setting the metal case on the ground carefully, Letty lifted her pistol, aiming it in Riley's direction as she walked towards her.

"Drop your weapon," she ordered, catching a glimpse of long dark hair behind Riley. Mia, it was Mia she was holding the gun on.

When Riley turned her head, Mia took the opportunity to dive behind some boxes. Riley fired at Letty, who ducked back around a tall container, firing back. Cursing, Riley found her own cover and they fired at each other until their clips were empty.

Letty tucked the pistol back into her pants and peered out to see Riley reaching for a metal fire extinguisher fastened to the wall. Letty charged her, plowing a fist into her stomach before the other woman could bring the heavy object down on her head. It clattered loudly to the floor.

The two women went down in tangle of limbs as the plane lurched again, shuddering violently. Letty didn't have time to process as Riley was grappling her to the ground. Letty struck out blindly, shoving her elbow into the other woman's side and kicking to get away.

As they got to their feet it was Riley that struck first, punching her hard. Letty's head snapped back and her jaw ached. She spit blood to the ground and raised her fists, throwing a few jabs. They exchanged blows as the plane turned sharply, sending them and some of the cargo sliding slightly. Letty grabbed Riley by the hair, yanking hard and slamming her face into the wall. Riley kicked backwards, knocking her away as she slammed a hand against a release button beside her. It dropped away to reveal the manual door lever.

Letty tackled her, slamming her backwards with force and throwing another punch that caught her in the jaw. Her head snapped to the side but Riley struck out with her foot, stomping down hard against Letty's shin. Cursing in pain she stumbled back and Riley grabbed the lever, yanking it down with one firm motion.

With a clank the door slid open, bringing with a blast of wind and the smell of burning fuel. Letty coughed, staring out to see billows of black smoke pouring from one of the plane's four engines. Riley seemed momentarily shocked as well, but she turned, grabbing for Letty, who dodged backwards. The plane wasn't up to full ground speed but a fall from this height and the current speed, over the paved runway would probably kill her.

"Letty!" She turned at the sound of Mia shouting her name.

She was holding what looked to be some sort of modified spear gun. Mia tossed it and Letty reached out to catch it, aiming it smoothing at Riley.

"Stand down," she ordered. "This plane isn't getting in the air. It's over."

Riley's gaze flickered between Letty and Mia, as if she were trying to decide how best to get out of this situation, if she thought Letty would actually pull the trigger if pushed.

The plane lurched again, this time in the other direction, and with it Riley lunged across the space towards Mia, clearly seeing her as an opening. But before she was halfway there, Letty fired. The spear embedded into Riley's back, pinning her against a pile of cargo.

She and Mia exchanged horrified looks, then Letty dropped the gun and ran to her friend. They hugged tightly, Mia crying in relief, before Letty pulled back.

"We have to get off this plane."

"Where's Dom and Brian?" Mia asked. "I saw them drive on with you."

"Dom went after Shaw. Not sure about Brian. Let's try and find them." Letty grabbed at her friend's arm, refusing to look over at Riley's body. She'd killed the woman because she'd given her no choice. That was it. Now they just needed to take care of Shaw, get off this damn plane and they could go home.

Remembering the case she doubled back to grab it, Mia waiting for her. The two of them hurried back the way they'd come. After all, if they were going to get off this plane, then that was the way out.


	20. Recondition

_"Just one beat of your heart,_  
And stranger than fantasy.  
I knew from the start,  
It had to be the place for me.  
Someone that I would die for;  
There's no way I could ever leave." 

_Is Your Love Strong Enough – How to Destroy Angels_

Dom didn't lose sight of Shaw as the man ducked between various stacks of cargo and dodged around crates ahead of him. He could feel the plane moving and he knew that whatever was happening on the outside must be slowing them down from taking-off, or they'd be airborne already. Whatever Hobbs and the others were doing out there, it was working.

Shaw cursed as he stumbled around a stack of cargo, then came to a sudden stop, face to face with Brian. The men stared at each other, then Brian met Dom's gaze and lunged at Shaw. The other man dodged to the side, slipping between another stack of cargo. Dom went around to intercept. Shaw threw a punch at him and he lifted an arm to block.

"There's nowhere to go, Shaw," he told him.

"You're the one stuck on my plane," Owen sneered, tossing a few more jabs that Dom deflected.

"Your plane isn't taking off, in case you hadn't noticed."

Shaw's jaw locked, twitching slightly in agitation, but he didn't say anything. His gaze slid over Dom's shoulder and he grinned.

"I wouldn't count on your victory so quickly, Toretto."

Dom turned to see an Asian man charging him just as Brian lunged out from between the cargo containers to tackle Shaw. Dom brought up his arms as the Asian guy threw several quick jabs at him, then kicked outwards with force. Dom stumbled back slightly.

Shaw and Brian were on the ground, throwing punches and struggling for the upper hand. Dom narrowed his eyes and faced down the Asian. What had the file said he name was? Jah? Whatever it was, he was fast as hell. But he didn't have the power behind his attacks that Dom did.

Jah went on the offensive again, his quick jabs sneaking past Dom's defenses. The blow hurt more than expected, and Dom tasted blood on his lips. Spitting it to the ground he lunged forward with his own powerful blow. Jah dodged, dancing away from him and striking towards his torso. Dom caught one arm by the wrist, twisting it backwards with a painful crack that had Jah hissing out a breath. Dom grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him up, tossing him forcefully to the ground.

He followed that up with another round of heavy punches. Jah kicked out with both legs, shoving him backwards, then hopped to his feet. Now his own mouth was bloodied and his face bruised. He dragged his forearm across his mouth, then dropped down into a fighting stance, sneering.

Behind him, Dom could hear Brian and Shaw exchanging blows, the heavy sound of a fist hitting flesh, the shouts of anger, and the crash of a body against cargo. But he couldn't spare them any more concentration than that.

Jah rushed at him, raining down a flurry of kicks and jabs that had Dom falling backwards, arms up to block the majority of them. He watched carefully, then made his move. Snatching out with one big arm he grabbed Jah by the calf. The man's other leg went out from under him and he fell onto his back, still caught in Dom's grip. He thrashed, kicking outwards but Dom grabbed his leg with his other hand and dragged him backwards, swinging him up and slamming him into a heavy stack of cargo.

He dropped him, then grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, throwing a couple of punches at his face. Jah's head snapped back and blood trickled from his nose. His eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped, boneless and unconscious. Dom released him, letting him slide to the floor and turned to see Brian grappling with Shaw, his arm wrapped around the other man's neck, choking him.

Shaw's face was red, but he jabbed backwards with his elbow, hitting Brian in the chest. His breath wheezed out in a cough and he released Shaw, who stumbled forward, taking in a huge breath. He lifted his head to see Dom staring him down.

Eyes widening, Shaw made to dodge off between the cargo containers but Dom intercepted him with a punch. Owen stumbled backwards into Brian, who grabbed him and threw another punch that sent him sprawling to the floor. Shaw groaned, rolling onto his stomach as he spit blood to the grated floor. He pushed himself up slowly.

"Dom!"

He turned his head at the sound of Letty's voice, seeing her standing behind Brian between stacks of cargo. She was holding the metal case in her hand and Mia was behind her. He felt relief when he saw them, and it must have shown on his face because Brian turned.

"Brian!" Mia pushed gently past Letty to wrap her arms around her man and hold on tight. He lifted her up off her feet, cupping a hand against the back of her head.

"You're okay?" Brian asked and Mia nodded.

"Riley's dead…" she said, glancing at Letty. "And the plane is damaged. We have to get off."

Shaw was on his feet by now and Dom grabbed him by the front of the shirt, hauling him closer. "You hear that? Nowhere left to run. You're finished."

"Don't be a fool," Owen spat. "This is a military plane. It can take a lot of damage and still get in the air."

"But it's not in the air, is it Owen?" Letty asked calmly. "It's over."

Shaw narrowed his eyes at her, lips pressed into a thin, unhappy line. He straightened up, lifting his hands in surrender.

"You're right, fine. I'll go willingly." He smiled, wincing at his split lip.

Letty was watching suspiciously and Brian was shaking his head. Dom nodded, releasing Owen's shirt, and grabbing his arm.

"Come on," he tugged the man along with him, glancing to Brian. "You guys go up ahead, prep some cars so we can get the hell out of here."

Brian nodded, taking Mia by the hand.

"Wait," Letty said, then tossed the case to Brian. "I'll stay with Dom." She narrowed her eyes on Shaw. "I don't trust him."

Owen smiled at her. "I'm not the traitor here, Letty."

"Shut up," she muttered. "I was never on your damn side. I was just a fucking tool for you to use, Owen."

"And use you I did," he purred suggestively.

Dom glared at him, slamming him into a piece of cargo they were walking past, hitting his head hard. "Oops," he muttered.

"In your fucking dreams," Letty hissed at Shaw, stalking in front of them.

He was surprisingly cooperative on the walk through the belly of the ship, though perhaps that was due to his new head injury. The plane was not as cooperative, listing side to side and shuddering violently now and then. Dom kept a firm grip on Shaw as he moved slowly to stay on his feet.

"What the hell are Hobbs and the others doing out there?" Letty asked over her shoulder.

"Keeping us on the ground," he reminded her.

"Let's hope they just don't blow us up," she muttered in return.

They reached the rear of the cargo bay, where Mia was already waiting in the passenger seat of the car they'd driven on. The Jeep Shaw had taken from the base was parked directly in front of it and Dom opened the back, shoving the man in. He climbed into the seat cooperatively, slumping over weakly.

"We have to open that cargo bay door!" Dom called to Brian.

"It's over here!" the other man called back from where he was standing at the lever.

He pressed a few buttons and the flap began to unfold slowly with a loud mechanical whine. Brian headed to join Mia in the car, climbing into the driver's seat and Dom nodded to Letty to get into the passenger side of the Jeep as he closed the door on Shaw. He rounded the Jeep and got into the driver's side, looking over his shoulder to watch Brian back out.

The view that greeted them was astonishing. In the low light of early morning they saw pieces of metal and shrapnel, the curved remains of what looked like a jet engine strewn across the runway that they were weaving back and forth across slowly. Huge grey/black clouds of smoke streamed out behind them from either side, and the sharp smell of fuel and fire assaulted their noses.

Shaw's eyes widened and he dropped down in the back seat with something akin to defeat, realizing that the only way he would get off this plan alive was in this Jeep.

"I guess Hobbs has more up his sleeve then you give him credit for," Dom murmured.

Behind him Brian had apparently recovered from his shock enough to back out, the car scraping hard against the pavement and then he turned the wheel and drove away from the plane. Dom shifted out of park into reverse to do the same just as there was a loud explosion and the plane dipped heavily to one side, bouncing and scraping along the runway, trailing fire.

Cursing, Dom wrenched the wheel to guide them backwards out of the hold. The Jeep hit hard as the plane spun, the wing dragging down along the runway towards them, on fire and smoking.

"Dom!" Letty shouted an unnecessary warning as he shifted back into drive and slammed on the gas.

He wrenched the wheel and the Jeep skidded, squealing on its tires as the passengers held on tight. The Jeep was up on two wheels for half of a second, and the flaming tail of the plane was right in front of them and then Dom was speeding away, swerving around raining bits of fire and smoke filling the air.

Dom drove away from the exploding plane behind him towards four cars that were waiting, parked in the distance. He could make out several figures standing outside through the hazy sky and slowed on approach.

Suddenly Shaw threw open the car door, diving out onto the pavement and rolling. Dom slammed on the brakes and got out, ready to chase after the man. He could see then, what had caught Owen's eye. The faint shape of one of the flip car's in the distance. One of his people had survived.

Then there was the sound of a shot and Shaw fell, sprawling on the ground. He didn't get up.

Turning his head in surprise Dom turned to see Gisele standing with a pistol in her hands. She raised a brow at him.

"What? I didn't think we wanted to let him get away."

Dom couldn't help but laugh.


	21. Whole

_"Ooh the reason I hold on_  
Ooh cause I need this hole gone  
Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving  
Cause when you never see the light it's hard to know which one of us is caving" 

_Stay - Rihanna_

In the end they had let Vegh get away.

Shaw's operation was destroyed; the man himself was dead, as were most of his former associates, with Klaus being held in custody in the Canary Islands before he could be transferred. Plus, Hobbs had said, she was a driving target in that damn flip car. She wouldn't get far. It was time to let the law clean up the loose ends.

It was time to go home.

Home to LA. A place she hadn't been in over two years now. A place many of them hadn't been in longer.

Hobbs had finalized the paperwork with them and it had all passed in a daze from there, driving to the airport, passing through customs and boarding a flight home.

Worn out, Letty had collapsed in her seat next to Dom and crashed, out cold for the first half of the flight. She blinked sleepily awake to find the cabin dim and Dom asleep beside her. Across the aisle, Gisele and Han were watching some movie together on a small laptop. In front of them Roman was passed out while Tej was playing some sort of game on a tablet. Brian and Mia were in front of her and Dom and she knew from the overhead light that at least one of them was awake.

"Mia?" she hissed quietly and the other woman shifted to peer at her through the space between the seats.

She smiled. "Hey. I thought you'd be unconscious the whole flight," she said softly.

"Very funny," she muttered. "Did they serve food yet?"

"Nope. I would have woken you. We did get snacks though. Here…" she rustled around. "I got you some apple chips."

Letty wrinkled her nose slightly, but took the bag and opened it. Beggars couldn't be choosers after all.

"How you holding up?" Mia asked after a moment.

"Okay… I guess. Kind of nervous about being back in LA," she admitted.

"Why? Aren't you excited to go home?"

"Mia… I'm not the same person I was. And Dom and I…" she trailed off, biting down on her lower lip.

"He mentioned that… Shaw told you about Elena," Mia replied.

"I think it's a conversation I should probably have with your brother."

"You should but you should also know something Letty," Mia whispered. "I was there to see my brother after we thought you'd died. You don't understand… the kind of mess he was. For a long time. I'm being honest when I tell you that he didn't want to live. He was just trying to be happy for me."

Letty winced, looking at the window shade for a moment. She glanced at Dom, who was still soundly asleep. She remembered he could sleep through just about anything. So could she.

"I understand that. But… there's still things that are not okay between us."

"I know," Mia admitted. "Talk to him."

"I will… just not here."

"Only four more hours till we land in Los Angeles," Mia laughed.

"Oh great, only. They better give us food soon."

They had served dinner shortly after that, and Dom had woken up to eat something. He told her about how he and Brian were both trying to get Vince to pick his favorite type of car, and she laughed at the image of them battling it out with little toys, shaking her head.

"Kid can't even talk yet, let alone drive, Dom," she said with a smirk.

"He still likes the Charger better," he replied.

"I heard that," Brian said from in front of them. "He does not."

"You two are impossible," Mia laughed.

"Look Dom," Brian began, poking his head around the side of his seat. "How about you have your own kid, and you can get him into muscle cars and let me worry about my son?"

Dom only laughed. "As if that would stop me."

"Brian you're fighting a losing battle here," Letty told him. "Just quit while you're ahead."

They passed the rest of the trip talking. Mia showed every picture of Vince that she had on her phone and she was beaming with motherly pride. Brian described how they found out she was pregnant not long after they'd ended up in Rio, on the run. He told the story about how they'd stolen some drug lord's money, dragging a damn safe through the city behind their cars. She'd listened with some disbelief, and some envy. How she wished she'd been there with them through all of that. How she'd wished she'd seen Vince again before he'd died. That she'd been there when little V had been born.

But there was no way to change those things now. She just had to move on.

When they landed in LA her mind wasn't anymore settled than it had been before. They took a taxi home, her and Mia and Brian and Dom all piling into one car. The others went their separate ways for the moment, promising they'd be by the house the next day.

Letty stared out the window as they drove, watching the familiar scenery. Things had changed. In a city this size nothing ever stayed the same, but some things did. The path the airport was one she'd driven many times before and she let her mind drift on the drive home.

When they arrived at the house Dom and Mia's aunt was waiting for them, along with baby Vince. He was just as adorable as he looked in all the pictures and once Mia took him in her arms he refused to let go.

"He missed his Mommy," Brian said and the two of them quickly disappeared inside with the chattering aunt to tend to their baby.

Dom paid the taxi driver and stood beside her for a moment, staring up at the place. The house was in need of some care…. A fresh coat of paint, some serious landscaping, but it still looked mostly the same as the last time she'd seen it.

"Been a long time," Dom mumbled, starting up the driveway.

Letty followed him, biting down on her lower lip. The yard was overgrown; the old grill was tucked against the side of the garage with the canvas cover pulled over it, coated in a fine layer of dust.

"Seen better days," she murmured, looking around.

"And will again," he told her, putting his arm around her.

Letty sighed, leaning into him. "Dom…"

"We need to talk, huh?" he asked, tugging her over to the back steps where he sat.

She dropped down beside him, wrapping her arms around her legs. She could clearly see the old garage from here. The place where she'd come to sweat off her hurt after he'd left her. With every bit of that Charger she'd repaired as if she'd been trying to fix them. So certain that he'd be home again. Well… at least she was right about that part.

"Look, Dom," she began, turning to face him. "I'm not stupid. You thought I was dead. So I don't exactly expect you to have been Mister Celibate or something. I mean it wasn't like I didn't find you with skanks even when I was around."

He grimaced, rubbing a hand over his face. "Elena is not a…" he must have caught the look on her face because he trailed off. "She's a friend."

"A friend… with benefits?" She arched a brow.

"Sure… whatever, I guess so." Dom allowed. "She understood what it was like to lose someone you love and I guess that was sort of what brought us together."

"Great, wonderful. And what, you just… what, lived with this woman?"

He nodded.

"Dominic did you ever stop to think that it wasn't the thought that you'd fucked another woman that would bother me?" she asked. "Maybe it has more to do with the fact that… god you weren't even _serious_ about us back then and every time we were together it was great and I thought for fucking _sure_ sometimes that you actually loved me."

"Of _course_ I loved you. I do love you. Letty, I never stopped loving you."

"But you wouldn't put any faith in me Dom! In us!" she stood up suddenly. "I wanted so bad to make it work between us. I didn't care that we were on the run or that we'd have to keep running. I just wanted to be with you!"

"I was trying to keep you safe."

"You ditched me in the middle of the night, when you knew I wanted us to stay together, because you wanted to keep me safe? But you were willing to live with some… _woman_ wherever the hell you were because you understood each other's loss? If you loved me so damn much why didn't I get the same consideration?"

"Because I was an idiot," he said softly.

Letty stared at him, the wind blown out of her sails. "What..?"

"I was wrong Letty." He reached for her hand. "I was wrong and I thought that I paid the price by losing you forever. And it took that to make me realize how wrong I'd been. To go against what you wanted."

She let him take her hand, looking down at him. "Well I'm not dead… but I don't know if it's too little, too late Dominic." She turned her head, eyes narrowed. "I look back at our past and I feel like it's just a history of me chasing you."

"Letty…" he squeezed her hand, tugging at her until she sat again. He laced their fingers together and she stared at them, how small her hand was in his, how right it felt. "I know that I probably don't deserve all the second chances I've gotten. But I don't want to be without you. I did that and it wasn't a life worth living."

"You forced me to spend a lot of time without you," she replied. "I can't do that again, Dom. If we're going to be together you can't make decisions for me. I need to trust you."

"I'll do whatever I have to in order to earn your trust back, Letty."

"I love you, Dom," she said softly, dropping her head. "That hasn't changed. I just… I'm not that same girl anymore. I need you to give me something."

He reached over to cup her cheek, lifting her face so that she'd look at him. "Hey… I'm not going anywhere. I won't lose you again. Ride or Die, remember?"

She grinned at him, letting him pull her into his arms. "Yeah, I remember," she murmured. "Ride or Die. Let's make it for good this time…"

It would take some time and some work. But maybe they'd be okay. Maybe they'd be better than they had before.


	22. Home - Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the prayer Roman says is right out of the film and I do not take credit for it! Thanks for reading! :)

_"I've been waiting for you It's been so long_  
I knew just what I would do When I heard your song  
The next thing I felt was you Holding me close  
What am I gonna do I let myself go" 

_Go - Delilah_

It was strange how incredibly normal it felt to get ready for a barbeque on a Sunday afternoon. Even though it had been years since they'd had one.

They'd spent the better part of the week getting the house in shape. The lawn was now trimmed down and Mia had cleaned all the windows. Most of the old furniture had been gone, sold or auctioned off by the state, but personal effects had been put into storage by their aunt.

It had seemed to give Mia some joy to refurnish the place, planning what colors to paint the rooms. She had also managed to get the boys to agree to painting the outside of the house – a task Letty had found herself roped into for the following week.

Right now she found herself with the enviable task of entertaining baby Vince as Mia mixed together the ingredients for a pasta salad. Dom and Brian were in the yard with the newly assembled grill they'd purchased to replace the old one, which had gone to rust.

"It's like old times," Mia said as Letty reached over to take a sip of her beer.

Vince closed his chubby hand around the neck of the bottle and she smirked. "Almost." She tickled the bottom of his little foot. "Hey that's not for you. But at least you've got good taste."

He squealed with giggles, kicking his feet out as he let go of the beer. Letty set it back down on the counter.

"Okay well, this time I have a baby," Mia agreed with a laugh. She looked over at her friend. "If you'd told me this is where we'd be a few years ago I'd have laughed in your face."

"No kidding," Letty muttered.

"I'm glad we're all together again," Mia said softly, turning back to the food. "It finally feels… right you know? I feel like our family is whole again."

Letty smiled, resting her cheek against baby V's soft blonde hair. "Yeah, I do too…"

She looked up at the roar of an engine. "Sounds like the party's arriving.

They could hear voices through the window, the sound of Dom's laughter drifting towards them. Shortly after the back door swung open and Gisele poked her head in, smiling when she spotted them.

"Hello little man," she cooed, leaning down to kiss Vince's cheek before moving to hug Mia in greeting. "This place looks a lot nicer than when we were here earlier this week."

"That's because we cleaned," Mia said with a laugh.

"I am mostly impressed that the back yard no longer half resembles a jungle."

"We set the boys loose on it with a power mower," Letty said, moving to sit at the kitchen table.

"Boys and their toys," Mia agreed. "How are you and Han settling in?"

"Settling?" Gisele laughed. "We will stay for a while but you know us…"

"On the move again?" Mia asked.

"Yeah," Gisele agreed, getting a beer from the fridge. "It is nice to have some place to come home to though."

The other women agreed.

A few minutes later and the door swung open again, revealing Roman peering in cautiously.

"Is it safe to come in here?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Mia asked.

"Well you know," he said, stepping into the room. "When women gather together they get more dangerous."

"As opposed to men," Letty deadpanned. "Who get dumber in groups."

"Hey," he protested.

"That was kind of a weak protestation there, Rome," Mia laughed.

"I just came in for some damn beer," he complained, walking past them towards the fridge.

When he went back outside they could hear him telling the other guys about the mean ladies holding little Vince hostage in the kitchen. They laughed more.

Gisele told them about the street race that Han had taken her to downtown and for a while they talked cars and engines while Mia finished the pasta. Vince was passed off to Gisele so that Letty could help her chop the vegetables for the summery salsa salad which they crumbled fried tortillas over.

When they joined the guys in the yard they were found standing near the driveway, backs to them as they studied whatever new car Tej had rolled up in.

"Uh guys," Mia said, "Why isn't anyone watching the grill?"

"I just checked it," Dom told her, still holding a pair of tongs in his hands.

Brian came over to lift up his son, blowing a raspberry against his belly that made the baby giggle and squirm.

"Aw c'mon man," Roman complained. "Why do you have to do cutesy shit like that? It lowers the badass level of this whole gathering."

He watched Han wrap his arm around Gisele and shook his head.

"Soon all y'all are gonna start popping out kids and I'm gonna be like that one Uncle that's a player."

"You have to have game to be a player," Tej told him, shaking his head.

"This house has enough babies in it for now," Mia said with a smile, before liberating the grill tongs from her brother and going over to check on the chicken and grilled corn.

Shaking her head at their banter Letty took her beer and wandered up the driveway. Dom's car was parked there in front of the old garage and she leaned back against the hood as she surveyed the beat up building. It looked half-ready to collapse, though it had looked like that for near as long as she could remember and it was still standing. Like a testament to time.

She looked up when Dom came to stand beside her, leaning back against the car as well.

"Thinking about something in particular?" he asked.

"Not really," she murmured. "Just thinking about the last time I was in that garage." She nodded towards it.

"Hasn't changed that much," he said, setting his beer down on the hood of the car.

He moved to slide open the garage door and Letty watched him, her gaze on his arms and shoulders. She smiled and followed him into the dusty space. There was no Charger here now, that was parked in the drive with Dom's beer perched atop it. But the work benches were the same ones that had been there when Mr. Toretto had still been alive. They were crowded with tools and there was a rag and some cleaner beside them, as if someone had started taking the time to tend them.

The old corkboard on the wall still held the same pictures, faded with age. On one of the tables an engine sat, in all its gleaming glory. New and out of place amongst all of the remnants of the past. Letty started towards it, when she nearly tripped on the corner of an old cardboard box sitting in front of one of the benches. She looked down at it in surprise, then saw her name, written in black marker on the side.

"What's this?" she asked, setting her beer on the bench and kneeling down to open the box.

Dom came to stand beside her. "Mia packed some of your things up in there… after."

"Makes you realize how little material things you really hold onto over the years," she murmured, pulling out a cellphone.

It was old now, the screen was cracked and its battery was long dead. There was a faded, folded old photo of her and her father, when she had been about ten. She studied it a moment, her thumb brushing over the face of the image. Dom knelt beside her, wrapped his arm around her. She reached into the box again and her fingers caught on a chain. She lifted it out slowly. The dog tags were blackened as if they'd been burnt, and her fingers tightened on the chain, winding it between them. Her father's name, etched into the metal, numbers that she'd once memorized the meaning of.

She went to put it back into the box when the tags clinked together and she caught sight of a glint of silver. Between the dog tags, hooked around the ashy chain there was a ring. A simple, thin band and a single square-cut diamond. Her throat went dry and she lifted her gaze to look at Dom.

"What is this?"

He took the chain from her, looking lost in thought a moment. "I bought it back before we'd had to run," he told her softly. "With some extra money from our jobs on the trucks…"

Letty was gaping at him, speechless.

"Remember how I told you about the dream I had? Of us on the beach in Mexico?" he asked.

She nodded mutely, her hands feeling numb.

"I meant it. A vacation. That's where I was going to ask you."

"Why didn't you ever say something?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Letty I was a man on the run. It wasn't any kind of life I was offering you."

"Dammit, Dom," she shook her head. "I didn't care."

"I know. After I lost you…" He looked down at the ring. "I had a lot of regrets. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it… so I just put it here with all your things. This box came with us to Rio… to Spain…"

Letty took the lid and closed the box again, pressing it shut. "You don't need that anymore." He gaze drifted to the jewelry he still held in his hand, her heart doing a little stutter of fear in her chest. "Hold onto that though. Maybe… in the future, you'll find the right time."

She closed her hand over his and leaned in to kiss him slowly, before pushing herself to her feet. She was glad her hand was steady when she reached for her beer.

"Does that mean you'll say yes?" he asked, standing as well.

She laughed. "I guess you'll have to find out," she replied, stepping out of the garage.

Dom tucked the necklace into his pocket, following after her. He grabbed his beer on the way to the yard.

Mia was sitting in a chair in the shade, Vince cuddled against her chest half dozed off. Brian was manning the grill while Roman stood over his shoulder telling him which pieces of meat looked ready to come off. Tej was deep in conversation with Han about some new engine mod and Gisele was sitting in Han's lap offering input every now and then.

Mia looked up and saw them approaching, smiling. "Dinner is almost ready."

"I'll get the salad and plates and stuff," Letty offered. "You stay where you are. You did enough."

"Thanks," Mia said, rubbing the baby's back gently.

Han and Gisele stood to help and Dom went inside to get everyone another beer as they set the table. It wasn't long before they were all sitting down around it.

"Smells damn good," Roman said, grabbing a huge scoopful of pasta salad.

"First one to grab food," Brian announced, pointing at him.

Rome blinked, already reaching for the platter of chicken. "What?"

"That means you have to say grace," Brian told him.

Everyone laughed but once Roman settled down they joined hands.

"Father, thank you for the gathering of friends. Father, we give thanks for all the choices we've made because that's what makes us who we are. Let us forever cherish the loved ones we've lost along the way.Thank you for the little angel, the newest addition to our family. Thank you for bringing Letty home and most of all thank you for fast cars"


End file.
